THE ANALYST. 245 THE EXAMINATION OF WATER FROM SOME TYPHOID-POLLUTED WELLS. BY SAMUEL RIDEAL, D.Sc., F.I.C. (Read at the Meeting, June 4, 1902.) IN December last year I received two samples of water from shallow wells for partial analysis as to whether they were suitable for drinking purposes. The chemical results for the two waters were as follows : PARTS PER 100,000. Total solids ... ... ... 29-36 75 92 Chlorine ... ... ... 1 -48 3-96 Nitric nitrogen ... ... ... 2.59 2 5 4 Nitrous nitrogen ... ... Nil. Trace. Free ammonia ... ... ... 0.0045 0.0028 Albuminoid ammonia ... ... 0.0075 0.0132 NO. 222. No. 223. Having analysed a considerable number of waters during the last few years from the shallow wells in this district, I have been able to fix a fairly rigid standard, from which I did not hesitate in condemning No.223 as badly polluted and No. 222 also as unsuitable for drinking purposes, mainly on account of its high nitric nitrogen figure. After the analyses, I received notification from the sanitary inspector to the effect that both the waters had been taken where there was a case of typhoid fever in the house-No. 222 from a cistern in the house fed from a well in the grounds, depth unknown; and No. 223 from a garden well-pump about 20 feet deep-and a letter from the medical officer remarking on the somewhat high standard which I adopted for these shallow well waters. On receiving this information, although both the samples had been collected in ordinary stoppered half Winchester quart bottles not previously sterilized, and had stood about the laboratory some days, I deter- mined to proceed with a bacteriological examination of the residues, amounting in each case to about 250 c.c., and containing the sediment from the whole of the sample.246 THE ANALYST. From the residue of No.223, the water showing the worse chemical results, no coli or other suspicious organisms were obtained, and, in fact, the bacteria growing at blood-heat seemed to have entirely disappeared. From the residue of No. 222 a number of more or less typical cultures of Bacillus coli were obtained, and an organism which, from its growth and reaction with the following different cultural tests, was almost czrtainly Bacillus typhosus . Surface colony on agar, closely resembling typhosus ; delicate, light-brown Gelatin streak culture; grew somewhat slowly at 20" C., and no signs of Agar streak culture; a marked growth in twenty hours at 37" C., resembling Culture in peptone water at 37" C.; growth, but no indol reaction could be Milk culture at 37" C.; not coagulated after seven days' incubation. Agar shake culture at 37" C. ; no gas formation. Potato at 37" C. ; no visible growth after twenty hours. Proskauer and Capaldi's media ; twenty hours at 3 7 O C.- colour, finely granulated, and no centre. liquefying after some weeks' incubation. typhosus. obtained after four days' incubation. " No. 1." No production of acidity or apparent growth (resembling typhosus ; I' No. 2." coli organisms grow, producing marked acidity). Growth, but no acid reaction. I n all these tests it will be seen that, with the solitary exception of its failure to produce acidity in twenty hours in Proskauer and Capaldi's No.2 medium, it conforms to the typhoid bacillus. Examined microscopically, the organism was seen as very motile short rods, with occasional long threads bent at an obtuse angle. Stained by Van Ermengem's process, flagella were demonstrated, but they were not so numerous as in other typhoid cultures, and in other respects the organism was proved to be enfeebled and not so resistant to the action of chemicals as stock cultures of Bacillus typhosw. A report of this was sent to the medical officer, who very kindly forwarded some of the typhoid patients' blood for Widal's agglutination test. A negative was obtained with normal blood serum, and very rapid and marked clumping with the anti-typhoid blood serum from the patient.DISCUSSION. The PRESIDENT (Dr. VOELCKER) observed that the main ground for suspicion in the case of the first water was the large amount of nitrates present. It would have been interesting to know the amount of oxidizable matter in this water, and whether there was anything in the appearance of the sample that would arouse any suspicion of its bad quality. Certainly the water would seem, on the chemical figures, to be one to which some suspicion might attach. Still, the strictly chemical data available were perhaps scarcely sufficient to decide upon alone. If, however, associated with the amount of nitrates present, there was a considerable amount of organic matter, or if there was anything in the appearance of the water that would lead one to thinkTHE ANALYST.247 that it was not altogether right, there would be confirmation of the suspicion. The second water, presumably, was also from a shallow well, and quite near the first one. Still, the great variation in the amount of total solids required some explanation. I t might naturally be asked, too, whether, as in the case of the first water, confirmatory indications of bad quality were yielded by bacteriological examination. Mr. W. H. JOLLYMAN inquired whether Bacillus coli had been isolated from these waters, as well as the supposed typhoid organism, and also whether any experiments had been made to ascertain if, in the case of the patient referred to, the blood clumped the B. coli, and if the organism in question was clumped by normal blood.He thought that such control experiments would be necessary before one could say for certain whether or not the organism was typhoid. Dr. RIDEAL said that he had experimented with normal blood, and had found that the organism did not agglutinate with it. He had not tested the patient’s blood with B. coli, because he was certain from his previous examination that this par- ticular organism was not B. cobi. All the tests proved that it was not B. coli, and pointed to its being typhoid, and he regarded the agglutination test as confirming what might be called the negative results obtained in the previous work. B. coli had been isolated from, and was present to a considerable extent in, sample No. 222; but in the case of sample No. 223, the organisms developing at blood-heat had apparently disappeared during the time the sample had remained standing. In the unpolluted shallow well-water of the district the chlorine was always much lower than was the case in these samples, as was also the nitric nitrogen. He should regard 1 part in 100,000 as a fair normal figure for the chlorine, and less than 0.6 part for the nitric nitrogen. He was unable to state the amount of oxygen absorbed by oxidizable organic matter in either of these two waters, but the opinion he had formed without the aid of that factor had been shown, he thought, to have been a justifiable one.