The Hayti herald., 1921-02-17
THE VALUE OF PURE WATER

stiles of life We can go without |
food much longer time than wetcan |
go without water. Every body drinks
1t and must drink 1t. It is used to
carry away sewerage and wastes of !!
all sorts and even at the present |
time towns and cities are located by |
preference on the banks of streams |
which are then used to carry away |
the wastes of the city. The next
city down stream in all probability |
uses this same stream as a source for
its water supply. 1t is not at all
strange then that typhoid fever is
entirely too common in the United
States.
Typhoid fever is always caused By
swallowing a germ which Is found
in large numbers in excretions of
typhoid fever patients or typhoid car
riers. 1t is evident then that II
proper regard was paids to the rules
of common decency this disease
would soon disappear. 1t has been
said: "for every case of typhoid
fever some person or community is
criminally responsible and should be
adequately punished.
The director OF the Division of
Sanitary Engineering New Yorl;
State Department of Health has re-
Gently given description of twenty
outbreaks of typhoid fever which
have occurred in that state fairly
recently. They teach us lesson 81
showing how water supplies may be
infected. First, and perhaps most
important is the pollution of the
water shed from which cities get
their supply: second, the use of
waters from private wells which have
become infected thru the lack of safe
guards; third the pollution of
good water supply by unusual floods,
fourth, the pollution of pure water
supply by auxiliary supplies not in
tended for drinking purposes; fifth,
The use of water not intended for
drinking purposes but for fire and
commercial use; sixth. the use OF i'm
pure water to supplement the pure
supplies during dry seasons; seventh,
the failure to watch the operation of
| filters; eighth, the failure to control
apparatus intended for the chlorinf.-
| tion of the water supply.
Almost all of these causes are
liable to occur in any community. AS
an actual matter of fact they fre-
quently do occur. Perhaps the most
common causes, however, is a failure
to install proper publication plant
for the use of waters which are no.
properly safeguarded. It should he
clearly recognized that with the in
crease of population so does the
danger of impure water supplies in
crease.
We cannot at the present time
drink from any stream or pond with
safety as was formerly possible.
Sewage increases with the population
and sewage is the source of danger
Gus contamination of water supplies
which we must guard against.
1t is being generally recognized
that efficient control OF public waite"
supplies is an engineering problem
and many State Boards of Health in
the country conduct an engineering
department whose chief duty is to in
vestigate the water supplies OF the
state. 1t is an important branch OF
public health control and those
states which have made appropria.
tions for engineering divisions havg
been repaid many times by the pre-
ventiOn OF sickness and death. Mis-
souri, has not yet recognized the i'm
portance of this step although ty
phoid fever has been quite prevalen
in this state.
In 1917 six hundred and twenty.
two deaths were reported to the
State Board of Health as due to ty
! phoid fever and at the common es
innate of ten cases for each death il
means that six thousand, two hun
dred and twenty persons suffered
from this disease during this one
year.
Typhoid fever ranks amongst the
easily preventable diseases and those
unnecessary deaths should be stop