History of Sanitation
Forfatter: J. J. Cosgrove
År: 1910
Forlag: Standard Sanitary Mfg. Co
Sted: Pittsburgh U.S.A
Sider: 124
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HISTORY OF SANITATION
103
of the inside of the well, the first 13 feet deep from the
level of the street paving, the second 18 feet deep, and a
third was afterward opened still lower, when the washed
appearance of the ground and gravel fully corroborated
the assumption. In addition thereto, the ground was dug
out between the cesspool and the well to 3 feet below the
bottom of the former, and its black, saturated, swampy
condition clearly demonstrated the fact, as did also the
small furrowed appearance of the underlying gravel
observed from the inside of the well, from which the fine
sand had been washed away during the process of filtration.
It was thus established as clearly as can be done by circum-
stantial evidence, that the great epidemic in St. James’
Parish, Westminster, London, in 1854, was caused by the
polluted water of the Broad Street well, which for a very
few days was probably infected with cholera germs. It is
much less clear how the well became infected, but it seems
probable that the dejecta of a cholera patient found tolera-
bly direct access to the well from the cesspool or drain of a
house nearby. There is no evidence whatever that the
germs multiplied in the well, but rather much evidence that
they rapidly died out. It is repeatedly stated in the report
that the water was preferred for drinking because it was
cold, i. e., colder than the cistern water derived from
public water supply and this condition would probably
favor such dying- out.
That the water had long been polluted there can be
no doubt. There was evidence of this, and also some
evidence that it was worse than usual at the time when it
was probably infected. One consumer spoke of it as
having been at the time offensive in taste and odor. It
is instructive to note that mere pollution seems to have
done no obvious harm. Specific infection, however, pro-
duced Asiatic cholera.
Mr. Whitehead in his singularly fair and candid report
raises an interesting question, viz: Why, if an early and
unrecognized case in the house in question brought about
infection of the well, should not the four severer cases of