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A New Method

A New Method image
Parent Issue
Day
17
Month
November
Year
1887
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Orfiikiiiff Water from Iron üfouulaln and Ia tis i ii u' tested foy Dr. Vimgrhan. Dr. V. C. Vaughan and his asíistant, Mr. Nory, are doing some very interesting work with samples of well water from Lansing and Iron Mountain. Rtcently Lansing had about 100 cases, and Iron Mountain about 300 cases, of so called typboid fever. The drinking water used in Iron Mountain is prcbably as bad as can be found in Michigan, and any one seeing the first test made in the laboratory will not wonder that 300 persons were made sbk. The greatest wonder is that the entire mining community was not 6wept awgy. The chemists prepared some beef tea and thoroughly steriliz d it, so that no extraneous substance that might be in the tea could interfere with the experiment In one specimen of the tea they put a sm&ll qaantity of the water from Iron Mountain, and to another they added nothing, keepine; both flasks at the same temperature. The contrast between the two after a short time was very striking. The beef tea in which nothing was placed remained c'ear; no change whatever is noticeable. But in the flask of tea in which Iron M juntain water was placed, there is a condition of affairs which is dif6cult to describe, and we shall nolattempt ir. Black and white are not more unlike thsn the appeapance of the two flasks. The same experiment practically was carried out with the use ot milk instead of beef tea, and with the same result. Then Lïnsing water was tried with milk and beef tta in the same way, with the same result except in degree. The Lansirg water evidently is not so badly eontamina'ed as ie the other. Dr. Vaughan now propones to take the flask in which beef tea and Iron M mntain water were placed, and if possible find out, by chemical analysis, the poison whioh is in it. He will also give some of the material to animáis and watch its effects, closely compariüg them with the symptoms ot' human beings made sick by drinking the water. He believes that by placing the water in beef tea or in milk, we have pracficaliy the'same oonditions as are found when the water is placed in the human stomach, if the fl-ks are kept at the right temperature ; aud the poison developed in the beef tea ought to give the same sickness to cats or dogs as the human being has when he drinks the water. Tbis is a new method of water analysis, and results of the greatest practical good to mankind may iollow these experinaeotg tbus hastily and imperfectly described. Dr. Vaughan does not beheve ihat the autumnal cases oftyphoidfeverare typhoid fever at all. The cases at Iron Mountain did not give the mnst characteristic sympt)ms of typhoid fever. The germ and the poison that caue iypho:d fever have been "worked out." Dr. Vaughan expects to ñnd a different poison in the Iron Mountain water. But of course this is in the realtn of theory. The important point i?, that he is try ing a new method of water analysis which promises great things. When he gets into the hjgienic laboratory now building, we may expect that this kind of work will be carried on much more elaborately and steadily.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Register