The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1912-05-28
Ufdh'S Water Supply
Paper Delivered before The state Medical Association.

the quanty OF drinking water ID!
means of his special senses of sight,
smell and taste. Water that is turbid
or emits a disagreeable odor is unre-
servedly condemned, while clear
sparkling water free from odor IS
just as unqualifledly pronounced
pure. Those of us who are familiar
with the history Of typhoid epidemics
and have had opportunity to examine
drinking water by means of specia
methods know how fallacious such
crude judgment is. Water that is
clear and sparkling may contain the
germs of typhoid fever or may be
polluted with sewage which, in the
course of decomposition, gave rise
TO carbonic acid II takes many bill
lions of bacteria TO render glass Of
water perceptibly turbid and 1t re
quires considerable fresh sewage to
impart to 1t a fecal odor. On the
other hand turbid water, although
llOii dh dtoNhtNiN pcAhN
of view, may be entirely wholesome
and a disagreeable odor may be due
TO inoffensive vegetable compounds
or harmless algae. Being thus unable
to form ready judgment of the
quality Of drinking water we were
obliged to seek the aid of the chem
list, who, It was supposed, could read
lily detect by means of chemical an
aiysis the injurious substances in the
water under suspicion. However, 1t
soon became evident that the findings
Of the chemist were purely relative
and would have to be properly in
terpreted before they could be Of any
value. The object Of chemical
analysis of water is to discover
whether or not pollution with object
tionable organic impurities has taken
place. BY Objectionable organic i'm.
purities" we understand those which
are from human or animal sources
and are capable of conveying the
germs of disease. In other words,
we look for fecal contamination, In
asmuch as the germs of typhoid fe-
yer, cholera, dysentery and other
intestinal disorders are excreted with
the feces, and together with the
feces gain access to the water. In
minute quantities organic matter, Nv.
en- II derived from sewage, is not in
itself injurious; 1t is only that such
matter may become the carrier Of
disease germs that II becomes q
matter for serious consideration.
Therefore organic matter derived
from plants or vegetables, removed
from the possibility of infection with
disease producing bacteria has no
significance from sanitary stand.
point, and it's presence in drinking
water in no way renders N unwhole-
some. 1t is evident then that the aim
of the chemist is to discover, first, the
presence VI VI dllN hiuNNNi "A'NH
would indicate pollution, and second,
to determine the source of such or
ganic matetr. Dead organic matter
in water, as elsewhere, Is not in a
state of stability. Through the
agency of certain bacteria, in the
presence of oxygen, 1t continuously
undergoes certain changes, becoming
resolved into simpler inorganic COM
pounds, The heterogeneous substances
are converted into ammonia and
the latter into nitrous and finally
nitric acid, the two acids combining
with bases usually present to form
nitrites and nitrates respectively. This
process is a beneficial one, for by its
means publication of polluted water
is brought about and the decaying
organic matter is converted into use.
going on continuously so long as
there is a supply of dead organic
matter and the necessary bacteria
are present, 1t would follow then
that the organic matter in water
would be made up Of; that portion
that has not as yet undergone dlsin
tegration mot yet broken up)-that
portion that has passed the stage o.
albuminoid ammonia and finally al
the Intermediary products of that por
ton that is undergoing or has under
gone disintegration. The quantita
tive relation of these products of oxl
dation to each other as we'll as (,
the unoxidized heterogeneous matte
will depend on the original amount o
the organic matter and the rapidit
with which oxidation has taken place
For example, take sample Of water