[Report 1897] / Medical Officer of Health, Bournemouth County Borough.

  • Bournemouth (England). County Borough Council. nb2004301338.
Date:
1897
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1897] / Medical Officer of Health, Bournemouth County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    17/48 (page 15)
    After a sample had stood for 24 hours, a small brownish deposit was thrown down. This deposit consisted of inorganic crystalline matters, which was insoluble in acids. Bactei'iological Examination. One c.c. of the water contains on an average 23 bacteria which are capable of development upon gelatine at a tem- perature of 22° c., and the proportion of bacteria present which have the power of liquifying the medium to those which do not so act is as 1:14. The usual search for pathogenic bacteria and for those which might by their presence indicate the possibility of organic contamination gave entirely negative results. The results again show the good qualitv of the Bourne- mouth supply ; the sample on this occasion shows even a greater degree of purity by the bacteriological examination from previous samples, which have themselves given excellent results. (Signed) Alex. G. R. Foulerton, F.R.C.S., D.P.H. Camb. I think it only fair to the Water Company to mention that their system of filtration at the Works is well managed. The water as drawn from the mains in the town is usually very bright and free from sediment. This being so, it seems to me quite superfluous for the householders to adopt any system of domestic filtration. If one could be quite sure that the domestic filtration of water was carried out in the best possible way, then I should not have so much to say against it ; but from my own observation and experience, this is scarcely or ever done. It is quite certain that the water instead of being rendered more pure or palatable, is often rendered quite nasty, if not impure, by the system of domestic filtration usually adopted. If householders, instead of purchasing elaborate and expensive filters, would only give more attention to the cleanly condition of their drinking water cisterns, and have them placed in less dirty and dusty positions, or, failing that course, would have a draw tap from the main, there would then be a still greater reason why domestic filtration is quite unnecessary.