The Lehi sun. [volume] (Lehi, Utah) 1913-1949, 1922-04-20
TYPHOID FEVER AND the ~,
WELL

~, nactefolod
Utah Agricultural College
Tho farm well is often n. :.
dangerous part of the farm. Ina.
OF giving pure life saving wats, =
ten furnishes infected, death n,.,a]
fluid. There is no way for a.
to detect between the pure ana
Impure water. But 1t is true ms,
the average farm we'll. unpO,s,l.
IRON Infection as 1t is, there are hi
ent numerous kinds Of disease c,u,,|
organisms.
Not only the dreaded typhOa
many Intestinal diseases on the \,
may be traced to impure well v,,,
Yet 1t Is not necessary for the al
to have any infected source a VA
supply. Proper care to guard the "
against contamination will keen N
supply pure. Why Ia II that IA
many rural districts various In,s.
nal diseases are more prevalent a.
they are in large cities, when the Y
verse should be truei We find
least a partial answer to this cussthk
In the difference In water supplies Y.
the two districts. In the cltlss n
water supplies are usually careful
guarded against contamination WI
In the country districts the supply 4
water Is usually obtained from we'd
and these In many places are shalO'|
and. what 10 worse than that, not III
tectOd from tho filth which mar \
carried in from the top. Eminent 4
thorlties on this subject have four
that where one death from typAdl
could be prevented by improving
water supply, two or three deaths I'd
other causes could be prevented b. D,
improvement. An improved wh
supply not only reduces the NUM-.
of deaths from typhoid fever, but \
creases infant mortality and the tslI
rate from gastro-intestlnal disin
ances. This is due not only 10
removal OF disease-produclng orpi
isms from the water, but there q
many other substances and organni
In impure water which greatly rea''
the bodily vigor Of the individual
ing II. And anything or ccndS
which In any way reduces the bon
vitality makes the individual an ~
mark for disease.
Many wells are only loosely cover
with planks between which grash''
pers, toads or leaves make Their w
It is easy to see how the filth ~
the boots of working men, or !"
children playing on the planks or ~
poultry walking about carrying INV
ton on their feet may get into IN.
ter and pollution may easily
place. One need not 30 far in'0
country to find places where ne "
houses are freely open at the D'ol
so that fowls can walk under ana Nv
there onto the plankS GOVERNS
well. All the filth left by tn'n
the cover OF the we'll Is later wan.
into the we'll. This could 90
harm II the disease germs WV
present. But one never knows y.
they may be present. It Is no' ,s \,
10 know that no case Of typhoid =
been upon the premises Tor HS
the case that apparently heai.u
dlviduals are carrying w''nn
excretlng from their bodies w
sease germs. III
For these reasons the o'o
which cover 80 many wells 'nv $50
replaced by n light flttins ~. q
platform. covering not only ns ~
face Of. but several feet 80
the well and passing into ne }. " :,
three or four feet 20 that ~ - "a
ter which finds It's way ln.O a.
must pass through several Is1 y. a
soil Under these co9dl''OnA, "a -
II fairly deep can be dspsA 800 h
for wat0r. Where water = . ~" %
be. or strongly suspected OF go !. - "
tamInated. the only remedy Ia, b
the water before uS@ ~. ~ o hs
tiers which are being on.'v mn %
publie cannot BE- dSpendsa "a ~
less they ara 20 conSsrSeSO =, Al
can be taken apart sVs,y 49, 10 d
thoroughly clSas~d Dg h'