364 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XV. No. 375. 



oysters, mussels and clams from a point 

 one quarter of a mile distant from the 

 sewer opening contained B. coli, B. cloacce 

 and Bad. lactis aerogenes. (2) That water 

 and oysters from a bed two miles below the 

 sewer contained the same organisms. (3) 

 That thirty per cent, of the oysters and 

 about sixty per cent, of the water samples 

 from a bed situated in a strong tidal cur- 

 rent, about five miles from the sewer, con- 

 tained B. coli. (4) That forty per cent, 

 of the oysters and seventy per cent, of the 

 water samples from a bed in sluggish 

 water, five and a quarter miles from the 

 sewer, contained B. coli. (5) That oysters 

 from a bed six miles below the sewer con- 

 tained B. coli. (7) That oysters from a 

 bed six miles and one half below the sewer 

 contained no colon bacilli; the water con- 

 tained B. coli only occasionally and theii 

 on a falling tide. (7) That beds still far- 

 ther down the bay were entirely free from 

 contamination. 



'Toxicity of Water toivard Pathogenic Bac- 

 teria and the Possible Significance of the 

 same in the Spontaneous Purification of 

 Polluted Waters: H. L. Russell, Madi- 

 son, Wis. 



The preliminary data here reported have 

 to do with the action of natural water on 

 the vitality of various bacteria, particular- 

 ly pathogenic organisms. When typhoid 

 and colon organisms (several cultures of 

 each) were inoculated in boiled waters 

 (surface, deep well, spring) growth gen- 

 erally occurred. This was more marked 

 with the colon than with the typhoid, and 

 was more pronounced where the seeding 

 was light. When the same cultures were 

 exposed to the action of water filtered 

 through a Chamberland or Berkefeld fil- 

 ter, or to etherized waters in which the 

 anaesthetic had been removed by aspira- 

 tion, growth not only did not take place, 

 but the numerical content was greatly re- 



duced, so that the cultures were often ster- 

 ile in twenty-four hours. Further test 

 showed that this toxicity of filtered water 

 was lost when heated to about 60°C. for ten 

 minutes. The origin of these toxic sub- 

 stances is ascribed to the development of 

 water bacteria, as shown by taking boiled 

 lake water and seeding the same with water 

 bacteria. After incubation for thirty- 

 three days, this water was again filtered 

 and found toxic for typhoid and colon, 

 which toxicity was again lost by reheat- 

 ing. Some bacterial species develop luxu- 

 riantly in standing water and, in some of 

 the cases, it was found that these grew 

 quite rapidly in filtered water, indicating 

 their ability to tolerate the toxins. The 

 relation of this toxicity to the destruction 

 of pathogenic and fsecal organisms in water 

 was suggested. 



The Bacteria of the Ames Sewage-disposal 

 Plant: L. H. Pammel, Agricultural Col- 

 lege, Ames, Iowa. 



The Ames sewage disposal plant has 

 been in operation since 1898. During this 

 time bacteriological, chemical and temper- 

 ature records have been kept ; account also 

 has been taken of the floAV of raw sewage 

 and the effluent. These records indicate 

 that this form of sewage disposal is a most 

 efficient one, and is adapted for many in- 

 land towns. The average number of bac- 

 teria per c.c. in the effluent from January 

 to December, 1899, inclusive, was 5,127. 

 For the year 1900 the record is somewhat 

 incomplete, arising from an iinavoidable 

 loss by fire; but from January, 1900, to 

 September, 1900, inclusive, it was 5,414, 

 having been as efficient as the previous sea- 

 son, the smallest number having been 

 found during August, when there were 

 546. In January the average was 830; in 

 September, 850. The average number of 

 bacteria in the manhole, from August, 1899 

 to September, 1900, inclusive, was 639,720. 



