Soil and Water Pollution : Presented to the American Public Health Association at New Orleans, Dec. 1880 - M. T. Runnels

The average would be 20.5 per 1,000 annually which is at least six above what it should be.

Herewith I give a [table of recent sanitary analyses] of our city well and cistern waters, which startlingly outline the impending dangers and serve as texts for many cases of ill health and death already met by those who have drank the waters.

The first and second samples were taken from two wells in the rear of a block having about twenty occupants. An inspection of the back yard and alley showed an immense amount of filth. There was no sewer to carry away slop or excrementitious matters. A large privy vault was in the rear of the block. There was one well north and another south of the vault, and about twenty feet from it. These wells supplied the water to the occupants of the block. Six cases of scarlet fever were there developed and three of them died. The other persons in the block were constantly ailing. One of the leading physicians of the city attributed the outbreak of the fever to the bad surroundings and the impure water.

The third sample was taken from a well on East Walnut street. The family using the water were more or less sick all the time. Languor, loss of appetite and spirits, sleeplessness, or nightmare, morning diarrhœa, headache and nausea, one or all, continually annoyed those drinking the water. The privy vault, twelve feet deep was forty feet northeast of the well.

The fourth sample was obtained from a well on North Tennessee street. Throat affections, fevers, diarrhœas, headaches with malaise, etc., made up the list of the complaints of the family using the water.

The fifth sample came from a well on North Alabama street. During the last three months, among those who drank the water there were three who had scarlet fever—one of whom died. And so on similar reports can be made of the other samples, except those marked “good” or “excellent.”

SANITARY ANALYSIS OF WELL WATERS.


WHERE FROM	GRAMS PER LITRE.			PARTS PER MILLION.		Nitrates and Nitrites	Degree of Hardn.	OPINION.
WHERE FROM	Total Solids.	Organ. Volat.	Chlorine.	Free Amm.	ALB. Amm.	Nitrates and Nitrites	Degree of Hardn.	OPINION.
Susqueh. st.	1.53	.62	.117	.12	.33	much	3	Bad.
Susqueh. st.	.88	.33	.088	.07	.16	much	2½	Bad.
East Waln. st.	1.32	.72	.127	.04	.18	much	1½	Bad.
N.Tenn. st.	.94	.41	.077	.05	.0612	much	2	Suspicious.
N.Alabam. st.	1.126	.616	.096	.055	.057	much	3³/₁₀	Bad.
N.Ills. st.	.60	.18	.043	.01	.24	much	2½	Very bad.
N.Merid. st.	.24	.012	.008	trace	trace	trace	1½	Excellent.
N.Alabama	.68	.30	.045	.01	.14	little	2	Suspicious.
Hoyt Av.	.30	.16	.0018	.12	.04	little	1	Good.
N.Penn. st.	1.41	.03	.075	.24	.4	much	½	Rotten cist.
Blackford st.	.78	.28	.038	.04	.4	much	1½	Very bad.
N.N.Jersey st.	.798	.178	.104	.05	.39	much	2	Bad.
E.Ohio st.	1.032	.50	.09	.04	.19	much	4	Bad.


NAME.	GRAMS PER LITRE.			PARTS pr MILL.		Nitrates and Nitrites	Degree of Hardn.	OPINION.
NAME.	Total Solids.	Organ. Volat.	Chlorine.	Free Amm.	ALB. Amm.	Nitrates and Nitrites	Degree of Hardn.	OPINION.
E. Verm’t st.	.908	.36	.058	.12	.13	small	6	Very susp.
Davidson st.	.848	.34	.08	.20	.08	large	6½	Very susp.
E. St. Joseph.	.738	.21	.035	.06	.22	large	4.2	Bad.
E. Mich. st.	1.588	.96	.09	.12	.202	large	5½	Bad.
N. Tenn. st.	.968	.48	.07	.06	.28	large	3½	Bad.
N. Penn. st.	.928	.4	.065	.025	.20	large	5	Bad.
New York st.	.5	.13	.04	none	none	none	3½	Excellent.
N. East st.	1.788	.874	.09	.08	.22	large	4	Bad.
Irvington.	.697	.29	.04	none	.03	small	3½	Good.
N. Merid st.	1.06	.57	.10	.08	.164	large	3½	Bad.
N. Delaw. st.	.86	.36	.95	.07	.10	large	5	Bad.
N. Tenn. st.	.44	.14	.007	.01	.00	none	2	Driven good.
Blind Asyl’m.	.65	.214	.025	.01	.042	{heavy {slight	2½	Driven good.
N. East st.	1.00	.62	.34	.114	.142	large	4	Very Bad.
332 N. Miss. st.	.68	.321	.043	.03	.234	large	4½	Very bad.