No. XXV.] APPENDIX. 329 



visited every house that was attacked, and in each instance traced the 

 mortality to the use of the water from the pump in Broad Street. He 

 thereupon went to the vestry, declaring that the remedy against cholera 

 in that district was to chain up the pump. When the authorities heard 

 of the simple means he recommended, they were inclined to treat the 

 suggestion with ridicule, but they argued it could do no harm if it did no 

 good, and when they chained the pump-handle the mortality decreased. 



It had been alleged that cows and farm-horses preferred to drink 

 water contaminated by sewage, and he would state, of his own knowledge, 

 that if those animals had the choice of clear water and foul water, they 

 would leave the pure water for the latter. For instance, the water which 

 flowed through Croydon had been habitually taken by some cows. These 

 were attacked with the rinderpest, whilst those around the district did 

 not suffer from it. Nevertheless, it was not only cows, but mankind who 

 in many cases preferred this particular class of water. Churchyard pumps 

 were resorted to in preference to others; there was something in the 

 taste of the water, probably from the salt it contained, that excited the 

 palate and induced people to drink it in preference to pure water. On 

 the last epidemic visitation of cholera, he recommended the authorities to 

 take off the handle of the pump over the old Roman well in the Bank of 

 England. That well, which was a celebrated one, was derived originally 

 from the gravel ; but now there was reason to believe it was supplied 

 from leakages beneath the urinals. It appeared that, when the handle was 

 taken off, some of the people of distinction in the locality begged that 

 they might not be deprived of that water, as it was the only drinking 

 water they enjoyed. He had no hesitation in saying that, where tainted 

 water was supplied to the public, it was a matter of great moment ; and 

 that whenever an epidemic appeared, the community must be cautious to 

 do all they could to avoid the use of it. 



The next part of the question was the character of the organic matter. 

 This, if like the white of eggs, or a basin of soup, was harmless ; but let 

 the soup or white of eggs get into a putrefactive state, and the operation, 

 like the leaven of bread, would communicate its taint far and wide. It 

 was matter in the act of change, and it set up change in contiguous 

 organic matter. The damage done to individuals of every species by the 

 excretse of the same species, was generally recognized by the medical 

 profession ; and the doctrine of the harmlessness of changing organic 

 matter was universally regarded as a medical heresy. 



Now, what did Boards of Health frequently do ? He would rather 

 call them in many cases Boards of Death. The Croydon Board of Health 

 formerly took the water which naturally flowed into the stream, passed it 

 through the town and the water-closets, and then poured it in at the top 

 of the river Wandle, to poison every person living upon its banks. At 

 one period of an epidemic he thought it his duty to call the attention 

 of the Privy Council to the circumstance, when the inhabitants were 

 warned not to drink the water of the river Wandle. It was only by a 

 series of bills in Chancery that the residents succeeded in suppressing 

 that nuisance ; and it was observed that the Croydon authorities found the 

 greatest difficulty in getting rid of the putrefying animal matter upon the 

 land. He could give a recipe how to test imperfectly-purified water. It 

 might be clear and bright and pleasant; but put it into a bottle upon 



