every death from typhoid fever avoided by the purification of public 
water supplies two or three deaths are avoided from other causes.” 
Sedgwick and MaeXutt studied the influence of the purification of 
polluted water supplies in Lowell and Lawrence, Mass., compared 
with similar data for Manchester, X. II. The theorem was proved 
true not only for the cities mentioned, but also for certain other cities, 
including Hamburg, Germany. Among the causes other than 
typhoid fever for which the death rates are diminished pulmonary 
tuberculosis, pneumonia, and infant .mortality are prominent. The 
occurrence and the viability of the tubercle bacillus in water, there- 
fore, becomes a fertile field for research. 
The following is a brief abstract of the work done to date upon the 
subject : 
Tubercle bacillus in 'water, put refaction and miscellaneous. 
Author. 
Sormani, 1886 
Straus and Dubarry, 1899. 
Galtier, 1889 
Musehold, 1900 
Cadeac and Malet, 1888 
Ldsener 
Ilance, 1898. . . 
Kirstein, 1905. 
Petri, 1890 
Schoteilius, 1890. 
Conditions. 
Not killed. 
Killed. 
Tubercle bacillus in water. 
12 months at- 
Tubercle cultures in water of the river 
Ourcq: 
At 20° C 
tenuated. 
27 days.. 
At 38° C 
95 da vs... 
At 35° C 
30 days 
Tubercle cultures in distilled water: 
At 30° C 
24 days 
At 38° e 
115 days 
At 35° C 
25 da vs 
Tuberculous spleen in water, 3° to 8° C. . 
17 davs 
Tuberculous products of pigs and cows 
14 days 
in running and stagnant water; 17°, 
13°, 0° C. 
Tuberculous products of cow in running 
2 months 
water; 4° to 10° C. 
Tuberculous sputum in water, sewage, 
A number of 
etc. 
months. 
In sewage polluted water 
G months 
Tuberculous lung, buried 
77 days 
124 days 
159 days 
1G7 days 
Results nega- 
Fragment of tuberculous lung in running 
25 davs 
five after 167 
days. 
water. 
Piece of tuberculous lung in bowl of wa- 
7G davs 
j ter exposed on outer window sill. 
Piece of tuberculous lung in bowl of wa- 
120 davs 
150 days. 
ter exposed on outer window sill. 
Tuberculous lung triturated with water, 
1G days 
67 days. 
exposed to air in bowl. 
Tuberculous organs placed in cadavers of 
3 months 
4 months. 
hogs and buried. 
Tuberculous sputum, kept fluid in well- 
17 months. 
corked bottle. 
Dust from papers and books infected 
8 days 
4 months. 
with fine spray containing tubercle 
i bacilli. 
Sputum dust 
4 days 
7 months. 
Cloth fibers containing tubercle bacilli . . . 
5 days 
10 months. 
Street dust containing tubercle bacilli — 
3 days 
8 months. 
Portions of exhumed human bodies 
3 months 
Buried phthisical lungs 
Several years. . 
