PATHOGENIC BACTERIA IN WATER o17 
“This water is of superlative quality and is absolutely safe for con- 
sumption.” 
This committee recommended the use of guarded terms as follows: 
“This particular sample of water as judged by the above tests 
yields unsatisfactory results (this may be amplified) and suggests the 
necessity of inquiring into the local conditions with regard to the source 
of contamination together with consideration of the desirability of 
further samples being examined.” 
Satisfactory results may be reported as follows: 
“This particular sample of water, as judged by the above tests 
yielded satisfactory results ’’ (may be amplified) “‘ but in the absence of 
knowledge of local conditions, it is impossible to say that the supply 
will always attain the same standard of purity indicated by the present 
results.” 
From the above report some valuable suggestions may be secured 
with regard to the proper wording of reports. The layman usually 
must depend on the analyst for a correct interpretation of his results. 
Too strong opinions should be avoided since they may cause the lay- 
man to secure the wrong impression. Some laboratories simply use the 
words “‘ good ” and “ bad.” It is the case in some laboratories that this 
part of the work is handled by a person who has had too little experience 
or who has not informed himself with regard to the prevailing standards. 
No part of the analysis should have more attention than the reporting 
of the results and their interpretation to the clients of the laboratory. 
Detection or Parsaocenic BACTERIA IN WATER 
There are a few diseases that have been spread so much by water 
that they have become known as water-borne diseases. In some of these 
the isolation of the causal organism has been atended with little suc- 
cess even if it is present. 
Bacillus typhosus. The isolation of Bacillus typhosus from water 
has not been attended with much success. When attempts have been 
made on polluted water known to contain the bacilli, there has been no 
certainty in the results. Those instances in the literature where it is 
claimed that this has been done, are lacking in sufficient confirmatory 
evidence. It is possible that by means of recent advances in technique, 
the isolation of B. typhi will be attended with more success than in the 
past. Most of the methods which are available for isolating the organ- 
ism from water, have been devised for isolating the organism from other 
