OPINIONS ON SEWAGE CONTAMINATION. 45 



the need of protecting mussel layings from all possibility of sewage 

 contamination." 



Herdman and Boyce 28 found that 14 days was about the average 

 duration of the life of the typhoid bacillus in sea water incubated 

 at 35 C.; when kept in the cola, their presence was demonstrated 

 on the twenty-first day. They further state: 



The bacillus probably does perish in a short time in the sea, just as it does in sea 

 water in the laboratory, but we have no evidence before us to show how it is so in the 

 case of the mud upon which the oysters may be laid; hence it is possible that the 

 bacillus might be capable of a saprophytic existence. 



In our experiments, in washing infected oysters in a stream of clean sea water the 

 results were definite and uniform; there was great diminution or total disappearance 

 of the typhoid bacilli in from one to seven days. 



Martin 43 shows that typhoid bacilli survive for at least 12 days in 

 unsterilized soils when kept in a moderately dry condition at a tem- 

 perature ranging from 2 C. to 12 C. 



Klein 39 states: "At the end of three weeks, a sample from the 

 Bacillus coli sewage flask still yielded on culture innumerable colo- 

 nies, whereas a sample from the flask inoculated with the typhoid 

 bacillus yielded 12 colonies." 



Houston 34 in a recent report shows that 99 per cent of the typhoid 

 bacilli added to water died within one week. In a majority of the 

 experiments, however, a few typhoid bacilli remained alive for one or 

 two months. 



The results obtained in this laboratory on the vitality of B. coli in 

 unsterilized, but practically sterile, spring water at room and ice-box 

 temperature showed that this organism survived only for about one 

 month at room temperature, but remained alive after two and a half 

 months at ice-box temperature (about 15 C.). The experiment was 

 conducted by inoculating quart bottles of a high grade unsterilized 

 spring water containing practically no organisms with 0.1 cc of a 

 24-hour bouillon culture and pouring plates at frequent intervals. 

 The bottles during this time were kept unexposed to light. 



SIGNIFICANCE OF SEWAGE ORGANISMS IN FOOD SUPPLIES. 



In the light of our present sanitary knowledge the presence of appre- 

 ciable numbers of B. coli in any water, food, or drug product is looked 

 upon as positive evidence of fecal contamination. It is true that 

 various workers have reported finding this germ from many sources 

 other than the excrementitious matter of animals. Aside from this 

 investigation there has been isolated in pure culture the colon 

 bacillus from the following materials: Sewage, water, ice, milk, cream, 

 ice cream, butter, buttermilk, sour milk tablets, oysters, clams, flour, 

 corn meal, wheat, oats, eggs (dried and frozen), wormy peanuts, 

 and moldy dried fruits. In nearly every instance definite informa- 

 tion was obtained by inspection showing that the product had been 



