11 
The author, after some preliminary observations concerning the necessity 
of having pure water for dietetic purposes, proceeded to prove that the water 
from town wells was the means of spreading diseases, and that none 
procured from a town spring could be pure. This view was supported by 
many examples from the City of Bristol. 
The water supply of the Bristol Water Company was shewn to be as pure 
as any in the kingdom. A list of various analyses were read to shew this, 
from which the following are taken for the sake of comparison ; 
Total Contents 
Grains of Organic 
per Gallon . 
Matter per Gallon 
Bristol Water Co, 
19-2 
•098 
Grand Junction Co , London 
21 -72 
3-073 
East London Co., 
23 5 
413 
New River Co , ,, ... 
19-5 
2-74 
Manchester Water Co, ... 
5-35 
•749 
Pump, Trenchard Street, Bristol 
118-4 
31-36 
Picton Street ,, 
118-0 
27-60 
,, King Square 
82-4 
.:: -n 
,, Guildford Place 
223-0 
17-52 
„ Ashfield Place „ 
91-56 
1-96 
,, Wine Street „ 
98-89 
•19 
In some of these the most disgusting substances were shewn under the 
microscope, which could only have their origin from domestic waste, and 
could be better imagined than described. 
One or two of the pump waters contained from five to ten drops of sewage 
matter per pint. An analysis of the Bristol Company's present supply was 
very satisfactory; the inorganic salts it contains being nearly all the usual 
lime salts. On the table were slides showing the organisms collected by 
deposition from 448 gallons of water. Many of the specimens were extremely 
fine and beautiful examples of vegetation, although so minute as to be 
totally invisible to the naked eye. The chief of these were : — 
DlATOMACEiE. 
Synedra radians 
Nitzchia sigmoidea 
Pinnularia viridis 
Onthaseira arenaria 
Epithemia 
Gomphomena olivaceum 
Gomphomena tenellum 
Meridion circulare 
Himantidium 
Tabellaria 
