OPINIONS ON SEWAGE CONTAMINATION. _ 45 
the need of protecting mussel layings from all possiaility of sewage 
contamination.”’ 
Herdman and Boyce * 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 isso 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 * 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 ® 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 imoculated with the typhoid 
bacillus yielded 12 colonies.”’ 
Houston * 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. colt 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- 
eiable 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 
