The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-06-04
DISEASE Turks
AT POLLUTED
BATHING SPOTS
State Swimmers ImperiIed
by Many Germs in
Rivers, Lakes.
BY WILLIAM COLLINS
Times Conservation Writer

1 hope to live long enough to SEE
the dawning of the day when the
public conscience will no longer
tolerate the obscenity OF a defilec
out of doors. Not that I care par
ticularly to save the state or the
nation from the curse of men who
create "Bubbly Creek" for that is
too great task for me to perform
Singly. The public is more capa-
bic of performing this miracle than
I as soon as they have the facts.
1t also is fitting that the general
public shall be the motivating force
behind the movement to make peace
with the Creator OF all things both
pleasant and Clearly. Then no man
can accuse us Of ramming an I'M
wanted Improvement" down his
throat.
Public Health Menaced
1t is not the purpose of the anti
stream pollutioniSt to save the
waters of the state for the SWIM
mers. In any event, no matter how
vile the ole swimming hole becomes
We still may rely on the public
water works to furnish us with
enough chlorinated water to keep
ourselves clean. Nor is it the sole
purpose of those who detest a filthy
river to restore it to its pristine
purity for the fisherman. 1t would
be much less expensive to buy fish
fir ! Gloucester and hand them
out.
The urge to put an end to using
lur public waters as running cess
pools embraces chiefly our desire to
be rid of a menace to public health.
Boil that down to statement that
we fear for the safety of our chill
dren during the vacation months,
then you will have the basic reason
for most of the activity of the anti
pollutionistS.
Take five boys out of your neigh
borhood. Lay odds that no one of
them will go swimming this sum-
mer and you will lose your bet four
times.
Lodge in Nasal Cavities
If they swan in any mile of the
more than $40 miles of grossly
polluted river water in Indiana or
in any one of the more than 600
polluted Indiana lakes, they have
taken into their nasal cavities some
of the following types of disease
producing bacteria:
Coli-aerogeneS. Not particularly
a disease producing bacteria as it
occurs in every human intestinal
tract When found by the water
analyst. its presence indicates con-
tamination by domestic sewage.
B. Coli. Another of the intestinal
bacteria. When escaping into the
abdominal cavity, is the probable
cause of general peritonitis, fatal.
Proteus Vulgaris. Causing marked
gastro-intestinal symptoms similar
to ptomaine poisoning.
B. Faecalis alkaligines. Under
suspicion as causing diarrhea of
children. accompanied by distressing
oy AAApSOAiAo.
Life Short in Open
B. TyphoSuS. Causing typhoid
fever. Fortunately its life in open
running water is very short and it
is very rarely isolated from a public
water supply, but that it is present
in great numbers below the outlets
of municipal sewers during an out
break of the disease in one or more
persons where strict sanitation is
not practised at the bedside is not
questioned.
Streptococcus and Staphylococcus,
the pus formers. The later is the
most resistant to destruction of all
nonspore forming bacteria and will
easily survive long periods in pol
luted water. 1t is, with the strep
the cause OF most cases of sinus in
fections, maStoid and inner ear
pathology, throat infections and
common colds.