LIVERPOOL MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY. 187 
LIVERPOOL MICROSCOPICAL, SOCIETY. 
T the last meeting of the Microscopical Society of Liverpool, 
held at the Royal Institution, Colquitt-street, Mr. J. D. 
Siddall, of Chester, gave an address on “The Microscopical 
Examination of Milk and Drinking Water.” ‘The remarks offered 
had reference chiefly to the impurities present in the settlings or 
sediment obtained by allowing the milk or the water to stand 
undisturbed sufficiently long for all the heavier foreign matter 
contained in them to deposit, or by careful sieving and filtration. In 
the case of the milk, of which many samples obtained from different 
-localities at various periods of the year had been examined, the 
sedimentary matter was found to consist almost entirely of the 
highly objectionable substance—cow-dung. ‘This was present in 
greater or less quantity in every sample of milk examined. Milk 
containing large quantities of it had been observed to go bad 
sooner than when little was present, and several distinct outbreaks 
of diarrhoea and sickness had apparently been directly caused by 
drinking such milk. When separated from the milk, in a few 
hours’ time the sedimentary matters teemed with Bacteria and 
kindred organisms, and emitted a most offensive odour. Slips of 
glass, which had been used for examining some of this sediment, 
were allowed to dry, and kept dry for several months, then they 
were moistened with distilled water, and it was found that the 
Bacteria, etc., had not lost their vitality; an hour or two’s soaking 
sufficing to re-establish their living activity. From’ these, and the 
other observations made, it seemed manifest that the presence of 
cow-dung in milk was highly objectionable, and perhaps fraught 
with grave danger. Every possible care should, therefore, be taken 
to prevent any such contamination of so valuable a food. Respect- 
ing water, the purpose had been chiefly to determine the micros- 
copical condition of the Chester Water Supply, every facility for the 
examination of which having been most readily given by the Water 
Company. The source of the supply is the River Dee, at a point 
about a mile above the city proper. Thence the water is conveyed 
in iron pipes, and caused to flow over filtering beds, consisting of 
about four feet of sand, and gravel, and rough stones. After 
percolation through these, the water is received into a large under- 
ground reservoir, and pumped thence to a high level reservoir, from 
which it flows by gravitation over the city. The daily consumption 
being about one and a-half million gallons. The quality of the river 
water, prior to filtration, varies considerably. At times very clear, 
at others turbid and discoloured through freshets or tidal influence. 
- Above the source of supply the sewage of several towns and 
