The evening leader. (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) 191?-19??, 1918-03-25
British Scientists Have Found
a Way to Use Chlorine
Product.
SAVES THOUSANDS OF LIVES
Water-5orne Disease Practically Ban
ished From Western Front-Medi-
cal Corps Keeps Close Super
vision Over Food Fur
nished Troops.


ponents, is now largely used for puri-
flying the water supply of the British
army. That is one of the strange an
titheses of this war. Socrates in pris-
on, noting the pleasure which he had
when the letters were taken off his
legs, speculated as to how pain ana
pleasure, though opposite, were so
closely linked that the one seemed al
ways to follow on the heels of the 9TH
er. In the same way what is poison.
someness in another, and divine provi-
dence turns even to good what wicked
ness designed for evil. The Germans
rarely get chance to kill anyone
with chlorine gas now, but chlorine gas
is daily in the British lines making
water wholesome and safe.
Saves Thousands of Lives.
The effort to secure pure water for
the British armies in the field makes
one of the fine stories of the war.
It has saved very many thousands of
lives by practically banishing water
borne disease from our principal front
At the outset of the war the British
Royal Army Medical Corps declared in
its mind all water supplies to be sus-
pect. They were held guilty of infec-
ton until they were proved to be in
nOcent. A STOOL proof system of maxi
ing unwholesome water safe by chlor-
ination was designed. Then all that
remained to be done was to provide
the machinery and chemicals and to
safeguard against carelessness. The
first was matter of supplies, the
second of discipline. Both were equal
to the demand made upon them, and
on every front now the general rule
is that the men are drinking safe wa
ter.
Chloride of lime was at first the
standby for water publication. It is
etficacious, but water chlorinated with
1t is not very nice. Now chlorine gas
has taken its place at big water sup
ply points. 1t is just as efficacious and
it does not taste the water to the same
extent. A simple test, in which nom
commissioned officer of every unit is
trained, tells how much chlorination
water will need to make it safe. If
very heavy colonization is needed; the
water after treatment can be dechlori-
mated ann is left pure. The units wa
ter cart with its trained sanitary or
derby has all the means of making wa
ter wholesome. But the system is fol-
lowed where possible of purifying a
main supply and issuing from that. In
case of small isolated bodies of men,
means of water publication are provfd-
ed in the shape of tablets of acid sui
plate of soda. All the old troublesome
water purifying schemes, such as can
dle-filters, which used to be constantly
breaking down, have been scrapped
Water precaution now is simple as well
as effective.
Food is as carefully looked after by
the British Royal Army Medical Corps
as water. Food has to be not only
pure but appetizing and scientific. If
the food is not pure it causes sickness.
If it is not appetizing it causes dis
content. If it is not scientific, has not
its proper proportion of proteins and
fats and carbohydrates, it does not
keep up the strength of the fighting
men.
Has Scientific Basis.
Probably Thomas Atkins has no
suspicion that the very generous ra-
ton he enjoys has scientific basis
carefully calculated In calories; that
there is distinct change made in his
summer and his winter ration, and
that scientists look up isothermal ta-
bles and so on when he goes to fight
ing area to decide what his food should
be. But that is so. There are sum-
mer food scales. There is a ration for
the French front and another for the
Italian front and another for Salonica.
Yet another for Mesopotamia and an
other for southwestern Africa. Some
people are accustomed to talk as
though the Germans had all the sci
ence and were the only people who
took the food chemist into council.
The truth is that the British have as
much science but good deal more hui
maneness, and part of the humaneness
is to keep the scientific calculations
in the background.
In regard to cooking, the Royal Army
Medical Corps confess to an inferiority
in British skill. AS compared with
the French, we are a nation Of bad
cooks. The most strenuous efforts are
being made, and have been made for
long time, to raise the standard of
army cooking. 1t is very much better
now than at the start Of the war, but
1t still will not stand well in COMPARE
son with the general French skill in
combining economy with savory results.
But the cooking is better and will yet
be better; and when the British army
come marching home it will have the
knowledge to raise greatly the stand
ard of domestic comfort in Great Brit
ain. Thus again, pleasure will follow
pain and the evils Of war bring good