Polluted Water Can Kill You 233 



and in general these fountains are of sanitary design. Some un- 

 sanitary bubblers are still being used, however, and they should 

 be replaced. Proper construction allows the water to leave the 

 spout at an angle, and no water that touches an individual's lips 

 has an opportunity to fall back on the spout. Too many fountains 

 have fancy metal guards that are very artistic, but they defeat the 

 purpose of a so-called sanitary fountain. When the stream of 

 water is so reduced that persons must come in intimate contact 

 with the guard to get close enough to obtain some of the water 

 coming out of the faucet, the guard has lost its usefulness and has 

 reverted to a health hazard. 



BOTTLED WATER 



Another popular notion exists that all bottled waters are 

 bacteriologically pure, but unfortunately this is not the case. We 

 have made progress in the control of bottled waters, but careful 

 laboratory examination has found some of them to be below the 

 accepted bacteriological standards. Control by public health 

 authorities has brought about improvement in this regard, but 

 vigilance must never be relaxed. 



STANDARD BACTERIOLOGICAL TESTING OF WATER 



Before too much reliance is placed upon the results of a single 

 bacteriological analysis of a water sample, the bacteriologist should 

 be made aware of all conditions in the area from which the sample 

 originated, especially as these conditions bear on present or future 

 pollution possibilities. This sanitary survey aids in the interpreta- 

 tion of the results of the test and will influence the final recom- 

 mendations of the analyst making out the laboratory report. Such 

 considerations as the slope of the land, the distance from the 

 nearest sewage outlet, the precautions taken to reduce and eliminate 

 the entrance of surface washings, etc., must be carefully interpreted. 



It is revealing to many students embarking on their first course 

 in bacteriology to discover that when water is subjected to 

 laboratory analysis, no attempt is made to find or to isolate patho- 

 genic bacteria. If typhoid, paratyphoid, and dysentery are the 



