| Show I TYPHOID FEVER AND THE FARM WELL By Dr J. J E. E Greaves Utah Agricultural tural College Colleg Tho The farm well is often th the most dangerous part of ot the farm Instead of ot giving pure life Ute saving water it often often otten of ot- ten furnishes Infected death spreading Ing fluid There Is no way for tor the eye to detect between the pure and the Impure water But it is true that Inthe in inthe inthe the average farm well unprotected from Infection as It Is there are present present prest pres pres- ent eat numerous kinds of disease causing organisms Not only time the dreaded typhoid but many Intestinal diseases on the tIle farm may be traced to Impure well water Vet Yet It is 18 not necessary for the farm to tn have un any imy Infected source t VY f l water supply Proper care r to guard the well ag against contamination will 1 keep beep t the tho o supply pure Why Is it that in so 80 many rural l districts various intestinal Intestinal nal diseases are more mOTe prevalent vre than they are In large clues cities when the reverse re- re verso verse should be true fie we find at least partial a n answer to this question In tho the difference in water supplies s of ot tho Wo two districts In the cities the be water supplies are usually carefully guarded against contamination while In the country districts the supply of ot water Is usually obtained from wells and these In many places are shallow and what Is worse than that not protected protected pro pro- from tho the filth which may be ba carried In from the top Eminent authorities au au- authorities on this subject have found that where one death from typhoid could be prevented parented by Improving the water supply two or three deaths from other causes could be prevented by the Improvement ement An Improved water supply not only reduces the number of ot deaths from typhoid fever but de der decreases creases Infant mortality and the death rate from gastro intestinal disturb disturb- ances This is due not only to the removal al of ot producing disease-producing organIsms organisms organ organ- Isms from the water but there are many other substances and organisms in Impure water which greatly reduce the bodily vigor Igor of the Individual usIng using us us- ing lag It And an anything or condition which In any way reduces the bodily vitality mares makes the Ule Individual an ens easy mark for disease Many wells are only loosely covered with J planks between which grasshoppers pers toads or leaves make their way It is easy to see how the time filth fUth from the boots of ot working men or from children playing on the UIe planks or from poultry walking g about carrying infection tion on their feet may g get t Into the water water wa wa- wa ter and pollution may easily take place One need not go o far into the tho country to find places where the outhouses outhouses out out- houses aril are freely open at the back so that fowls can walk under and from there unto onto time tIle planks covering tho the well ell All th the filth left b by them on the cover of ot the well is later washed Into the well This could do little harm If It the disease germs were ero not present But nut one never ne knows when they thoy may be present It is not enough bo On know that t no case ase of ot typhoid has been upon the premises premIse for it Is often otten the case that apparently healthy individuals individuals in In- are carrying within or excreting from their bodies the dl- dl sease germs For these reasons the Ute old planks which cover corer so many wells should be replaced by a n tight fitting cement cement platform covering not only the surface sur sun face of oC but several feet surrounding the well weil and passing Into the Ute ground three or four feet teet so BO that nil all the water wa war tel ter which finds Its Us way Into the tIle well eli must pass through several feet teet of firm finn soil Under these conditions ans the tho well wen If It fairl fairly deep dop can be depended upon for or wat water r. r VJ Where There re water is known tobe to tobe tobo be bo or stron strongly 1 suspected of ot being contaminated con con- ted tho the only remedy is to boll boil time the water mIter before use The many tens fers rs which are ore bong being offered to the Nto public cannot be depended upon unless un- un le less les s they are so BO constructed that they nn ran he taken apart every day and cleaned h I by heating to A cd ed heat he |
