Proceedings, &c, for 1885. 151 



interference and competition of others. In Melbourne he con- 

 sidered that typhoid was more prevalent than in any town of 

 England. Even if the specific poison were not present we ought 

 to be suspicious when organic matter is present in drinking water ; 

 for even if it does not engender typhoid, it is certain to increase 

 diarrhoea and allied diseases. ISTo filter is of the least use in 

 removing bacterial forms, but in its own way a filter of compressed 

 asbestos was the best that could be had for purifying water. He 

 had seen Mr. Newbery's experiments with benzine, and the result 

 was certainly remarkable. 



Mr. Blackett said that he always thought that bacteria were 

 of the nature of a ferment. It was surprising that Melbourne 

 should be so heavily visited with typhoid fever when its water 

 supply was so pure. Pasteur has discovered that through a biscuit 

 porcelain, under a pressure of two atmospheres, it was possible to 

 filter out bacterial germs. 



Mr. A. C. Macdoxald said that the Moorabool River, which 

 supplied Geelong with water, gathered its waters from a pig-feeding 

 area, and the supply would not therefore be very pure. 



Dr. Henry said that bacteria of typhoid seemed to grow most 

 readily where animal and vegetable refuse were mingled. 



Mr. Fenton said that the death-rate from typhoid was 

 increasing at an alarming rate in Melbourne. Perhaps milk was 

 the most dangerous vehicle in which the typhoid germs would be 

 disseminated. The late Dr. Thomson maintained that the typhoid 

 germs were absorbed by vegetable matters only from decaying 

 animal matters with which they might happen to be in contact. 



Mr. White said that possibly the germs of typhoid and allied 

 fevers might be spread by the dust-storms, which were the plague 

 of Melbourne. Dry dirt of all sorts gathered on our streets, on 

 account of defective scavenger arrangements, and it was possible 

 that the wind may blow dried, but not killed, germs into our food. 



Mr. Elleey agreed with Mr. White, and noticed that in 

 Melbourne typhoid abounded most in dry, dusty weather. 



Mr. Newbery pointed out that free and albuminoid ammonia 

 increased in the rain collected by the Observatory gauges whenever 

 the weather was hot and dry, for the air was then charged with 

 organic matter in the form of dust, which was necessarily washed 

 down into the gauges. In reply to a question from a member, he 

 stated that the disease germs were so small that they passed readily 

 through any filter. Whether boiling would destroy their vitality 

 he could not say, but it must certainly be looked on as to a certain 

 extent a safegiiard. 



Mr. Sutherland remarked that in Melbourne, while the death- 

 rate generally was decreasing, there was a steady increase in the 

 deaths from typhoid. This result could not be due to any 

 increasing neglect of sanitary precautions, for the change was 



