57. No measures adopted to prevent the spread of contagious diseases generally.

THE HYGIENE OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS-BY D. C. ARNOLD.

58. There are forty-nine school-houses in the county. The number of pupils registered in each school is as follows: Piedmont, 745; Keyser Independent, 680*; Frankfort, 462; Cabin Run, 245; Welton, 312; New Creek, 261; Elk, 287; the number of teachers employed, 59; nearly all the buildings are frame, a few brick and log houses; all heated by stoves; no calculation made of the cubic space allowed each pupil; drinking water pretty fair, but not always convenient; the majority of the schools have no privies; the town schools have, and they are moderately well arrangeḍ ; hours of study, six; country schools a little more sometimes.

59. The light is generally abundant; in most cases the light comes in at the sides of the house; several buildings have it in front, rear and sides. 60. They are not.

61. Double seats or desks (that is, two pupils sit at one desk), patent and home-made.

62. In towns, little or none; in the country, enough; trees overshadow the houses in a few instances.

63. They have not.

64. They are hung in one end of the school-room; no provision for drying them.

65. (a) Cannot tell; (b) headache is often complained of.

No law for compulsory vaccination; scholars with infectious diseases 66. are excluded from school by law; a case of diptheria or scarlet fever 67. would be excluded from the schools as soon as known by the school officers.

CUMBERLAND, MD., October 22, 1881.

DEAR DOCTOR WEST :-I am pleased to learn you are giving attention to the cause of diseases, and that you regard drinking water a fertile source. Typhoid fever, as you are well aware, depends for its development upon a specific germ. This germ may be introduced with the food we eat, the water we drink, and even, but less frequently I believe, by the air we breathe, but more frequently the spores may, while we are engaged in talking in the sick chamber, find their way into the mouth and swallowed with the spittle. Recognizing the latter as a possibility, I have for years rinsed my mouth with water on leaving a case of typhoid fever as a precautionary measure, especially when detained for some time in the patient's apartment. I never swallow any spittle after leaving a sick room, unless I forget it. Neither the microscope nor chemistry has as yet detected the specific germs of typhoid fever. They may find their way into the purest of water. We can say, however, that this or that water is contaminated, and if highly, will cause many serious diseases and aggravate and render more malignant all diseases. All diseases thrive amidst filth.

*Not official.

The cases you mention were, no doubt, the result of contagion. If possible, ascertain where the disease originated, and put the result on paper for future use. While at Centreville, Pa., I treated some thirty or forty cases, extending over a period of eighteen months, and could trace every case to direct contagion, but how communicated I failed to learn.

Continue your investigations, and whenever you suspect the water, send me a sample. I did not receive your letter until the day after it was written, and could therefore not come up; I am,

Yours,

D. P. WELFLEY.

CUMBERLAND, September 9, 1881.

DEAR DOCTOR WEST-After working faithfully I have completed the analysis of the five samples of drinking water which you forwarded me by express. It now only remains for me to reduce the results of this analysis into form which will become intelligible to you, and to express an opinion of the character and qualities of the water.

In the first place, by the process of analysis we are easily able to detect matters in suspension and solution, and are thus able to divide potable waters into waters which are clean, and waters which are dirty, (that is, those which have an abnormal quantity of organic matter.) If a water be dirty, a knowledge of its history, and of course of its mineral constituents, may be of assistance in forming a judgment as to the degree of risk attendant on its employment for domestic use. In addition to being injurious by reason of organic impurity, water may also be injurious on account of its mineral constituents. These may either be excessive in amount, or poisonous in themselves.

The proper kind of analysis of potable water which is generally suitable for sanitary purposes, comprises determinations of solids, chlorine, free ammonia and albuminoid ammonia. Upon these data, a judgment may be pronounced as to whether the water is fit for domestic use or not.

SPECIMEN OF WELL WATER NO. 2.

Analysed September 8, 1881, forty days after a heavy rain :

(1) Free ammonia, .0054 milligramme per litre, or part per million.

(2) Albuminoid ammonia, .192 milligramme per litre, or parts per million.

(3) Chlorine, 1 gr. per gallon.

(4) Hardness, 16 degrees.

(5) Total solids, 40 grs. per gallon.

(6) Organic matter, 4 grs. per gallon.

(7) Carbonate of magnesia, 5.6 grs. per gallon.

This water is suspicious of containing an undue amount of vegetable ́organic matter and needs cleaning badly. Whence this vegetable matter is derived I am not able to say. The very small amount of free ammonia and chlorine show an entire absence of sewage or privy contamination. It is the large amount of alb. ammonia that renders the water suspicious,

and is evidence of vegetable contamination; it is rather a bad water, though not positively so dangerous as that containing animal matter. The total solids in good drinking water should not exceed 35 grs. per gallon; more than this accompanied by an excess of alb. ammonia renders the water very bad. The degrees of hardness render it unfit for washing purposes ; the carb. of magnesia is no objection. I would suggest that you examine the surroundings of this well, and you may possibly discover the sources and character of the contamination. (Such is the character of the water to-day, to-morrow, next week, or next year, and after a rain it will differ).

WELL WATER NO. 3.

Analized September 8, twenty days after a heavy rain:

(1) Free ammonia, .016 milligramme per litre, or parts per million. (2) Alb. ammonia, .084 milligramme per litre, or parts per million. (3) Chlorine, 2.8 grs. per gallon.

(4) Hardness, 12 degrees.

Total-Solids, 30 grs. per gallon ; organic, 11 grs. per gallon.

This sample contains three times more free ammonia, more than twice the amount of chlorine, but less than half the quantity of alb. ammonia. The more than ordinary amount of free ammonia, and the increased chlorine would indicate that the water may receive some fresh urine from surface contamination, or possibly sink water, or it may be either a very deep or a very shallow well. There is, however, no especial objection to drinking this water and may be considered ordinarily good, though the organic solids (11) are too large, and render it suspicious. The hardness (12 degrees) is too great for washing purposes.

WELL WATER NO. 1.

Analysed September 8, 1881, twenty days after a rain :

(1) Free ammonia, .22 milligramme per litre, or parts per million.

(2) Alb. ammonia, .14 milligramme per litre, or parts per million.

(3) Chlorine, 9 grs. per gallon.

(4) Hardness, 12 degrees.

Well No. 1 contains more than forty times more free ammonia than well No. 2, and nearly fifteen times more than well No. 3, and nine times more chlorine than well No. 2, and more than three times than well No. 3; and the amount of alb. ammonia would alone render it suspicious, though it is not as high as in No. 2. Here is water that is contaminated with recent sewage or privy drainage, at least the organic impurities in the water belong to the ureal class. Sink and slop water may also find their way in. It may also have a large quantity of sediment at the bottom with a dead rat, cat, frogs, &c. If the free ammonia is not due to cistern or rain water, I would condemn it at once as unfit for use.

CREEK WATER.

Analyzed September 8, 1881, twenty days after a rain :

(1) Free ammonia, .016 milligramme per litre, or parts per million. ((2) Alb. ammonia, .196 milligramme per litre, or parts per million.

(3) Chlorine, 1.4 grs. per gallon.

(4) Hardness, 10 degrees.

Total-Solids, 16 grs. per gallon; organic matter, 3 grs. ; carb. magnesia,. 3.9 grs. per gallon.

Here the free ammonia corresponds with well No. 3. the alb. ammonia with well No. 2, and chlorine .4 more than well No. 2. The amount of alb. ammonia renders this water unhealthy for drinking purposes. The pollution is due to an excess of vegetable organic matter, and can only be rendered fit to drink by filtration. It is also rather hard for washing purposes.

POTOMAC WATER.

Free ammonia, .016 milligramme per litre, or parts per million.
Alb. ammonia, .184 milligramme per litre, or parts per million.
Chlorine, .5 grs. per gallon.

Hardness, 7.5 degrees.

Total-Solid, residue, 12 grs. per gallon; organic matter, 5 grs. per gallon. The only material difference between the Potomac and creek water is. the former contains less chlorine, showing that a greater part of the Poto. mac water contamination is due to vegetable matter. It is far better for washing purposes, as it contains 2.5 degrees of hardness less.

I hope you will at once forward me a full knowledge of all the points you can ascertain about these well waters, then I can form a more substantial opinion. I have endeavored to be as explicit as possible.

If these specimens are an indication of the character of the drinking water of Keyser, the citizens should look for a better and purer supply. In regard to diseases connected with impure drinking water, we can not at present say that the germs of typhoid, or scarlatina, or diphtheria, do or do not exist in any given water, but we can say that this or that water is loaded with the products of decay from animal or vegetable sources, and hence is more liable to be the cause of disease and death than another which contains no such filth.

September 10th.

October 20th, 1881-From a spring eighteen miles beyond Keyser, W. Va.: Solids, 4 grains per gallon; chlorine, .2 grains per gallon; volatile matter, 2 grains per gallon. Free ammonia, .026 milligramme per litre; albuminoid ammonia, .20 milligramme per litre; hardness, 2 degrees.

The amount of free amonia in this sample of drinking water, though higher than it should be, would not in itself condemn it, were it not that the amount of albuminoid ammonia reaches to .20 (two- tenths or twentyhundredths), which is entirely too much; and I would therefore condemn it as dirty and unsafe to use for drinking purposes. The very small amount of chlorine, which is only .2 (two-tenths), shows that the contamination is not from sewage, or animal products. It must therefore be vegetable. This spring is located in a ravine, and of course during a rain the water dissolves out of the soil an enormous quantity of vegetable mat

ter and carries the impurities with it into the spring. It only contains 4 grains of solids in a gallon of water, and 2 degrees of hardness. It contains less chlorine, and less solid residue, and less degrees of hardness than any water that I have analyzed. The hardness of distilled water is 1 (one) degree, and that of ordinary rain water only 4, yet this is only 2 degrees, one above distilled water. This is remarkable water in its native purity. You should by all means urge the family to obtain and preserve it in its native purity, which can be done by digging down upon the solid rock along the course of the spring; if the rock is too far below the surface, then dig only until clean solid earth is reached; then wall it up with stone or brick and cement inside and outside with plaster Paris. If there is only one or even several streams at the bottom, cement the bottom also. If I saw the spring I could give more explicit directions. But the idea is to keep out all foreign or surface water and all soakage into it from the surrounding soil. I repeat, this water can be made most excellent drinking water if it does not communicate with a foul stream at a distance.

D. P. WELFLEY.

FROM OHIO COUNTY.

PROF. W. H. ANDERSON.

WHEELING, W. Va., October 6th, 1882.

JAMES E. REEVES, M. D.,

Secretary of the State Board of Health:

DEAR SIR :—I received a copy of your important questions relating, among other things, to the sanitary condition of our Public Schools.

So far as I can, I shall answer in regard to Union School, of Wheeling. 58. The number of pupils registered is 625; the number of teachers employed is 15, not including the teacher of the German language and myself; our building is a large modern brick, with Mansard roof, and is heated with warm dry air from furnaces in the basement; the average number of cubic feet of air to each pupil is about 250; our water is from the regular city supply; our privies are styled earth-closets, and are sufficiently large and commodious; lime is used freely, and yet at times some stench is emitted from them; the hours of study range from four hours a day in the lowest grade to five and one-half hours in the higher grades.

59. The light is abundant, or at least quite sufficient; in five rooms the light is behind and on the right; in seven rooms behind and on the left; in one room it is behind, on the left and in front; in one room it is right, left and in front, and in one room it is on the right and left.