A further discussion on malaria a waterborne disease : read before the Mississippi Valley Medical Association at its twentieth annual meeting, at Hot Springs, Ark., Nov. 20 to 23, 1894 / by W.H. Daly.

  • Daly, W. H. (William Hudson), 1842-1901.
Date:
1895
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A further discussion on malaria a waterborne disease : read before the Mississippi Valley Medical Association at its twentieth annual meeting, at Hot Springs, Ark., Nov. 20 to 23, 1894 / by W.H. Daly. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

    12/22 (page 8)
    ville Lock (Illinois Kiver improvement), Kampsville, Calhoun County, 111., I had the occasion to observe the effects of drinking water on persons temporarily residing in this malarial district, as well as upon the native inhabitants. The land immediately adjacent to the lock site was known as bottom land—it was overflowed at each high water season—and wras poorly drained, being very flat. Water stood in the bogs or swamps until the dry weather of summer had completely evaporated it. Drinking water was obtained for the men employed in the construction of the lock foundations from drive wells, put down to the depth of twelve or fifteen feet. The men em- ployed on the dredge and tow boats and the officers used filtered river water. “Among the many laborers who sought employ- ment were forty Swedes, who had arrived in this country from their native land about ten days before coming to the lock; they were a vigorous, well-nour- ished body of men, eager for work. They took board in quarters near the lock, and drank water from the drive well. Within ten days one of them was taken down with malaria, and before two weeks ten or more had succumbed; one died and two were seri- ously ill. At the end of a month but three were able to continue work; one of these had no malarial symptoms at all; he worked on one of the boats, where he drank filtered water. Now all of these men seemed peculiarly susceptible to malarial infection, and as quickly as they could returned to Chicago to escape its ravages. The men who worked on the boats escaped the disease. The natives who drank of the well water were not so much affected, yet quite a number of them had to quit work. The wells used by the natives, however, were located on the edge of the bluffs, about one-half mile from the river. Here we have, I think, marked evidence of the infection coming from drinking water; for all the employes, officers and all, were situated under like atmospheric conditions and exposed to the same