History of community drinking water disinfection.

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ROBBYBOBBY64

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I ran into some information about the history of water supply disinfection. To stop the spread of Typhoid and Cholera. Water supplies being contaminated. I believe not many people trusted chemicals in their water. Probably why bottled waters were so popular. It all started with a doctor named John L. Leal . He added chloride of lime to the tap water of Jersey City. Interesting stuff. And to think it all started in New Jersey (1908).
ROBBYBOBBY64. https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/history.html
 
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bostaurus

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Just finished a great book on a big cholera outbreak in London in 1854. It was before the germ theory was accepted so folks did not know where this disease was coming from..many thought it was from a miasma. A minister and a local doctor,John Snow, used data and statistics to trace the spread of the disease which had killed hundreds in that small area. They were able to show that it all traced back to one water pump and when people switched to other water sources the disease stopped. Apparently some people in London had pits in the basement where the chamber pots were emptied. Once full they would hire someone to empty them. If you were too poor it just overflowed. One such basement was leaking through the wall into the soil, not far from the pump. They also had a sewer system in the city but it just emptied directly into the Thames River. There was a group of people that lived as 'sewer rats'. They would enter the sewers to look for valuables that had been lost in the sewer. It was stated that few of them died of cholera, maybe due to an immunity they picked up, though it was not uncommon for them to die from breathing noxious gasses or from burns when their candles set of small explosions of gas.
 

ROBBYBOBBY64

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Just finished a great book on a big cholera outbreak in London in 1854. It was before the germ theory was accepted so folks did not know where this disease was coming from..many thought it was from a miasma. A minister and a local doctor,John Snow, used data and statistics to trace the spread of the disease which had killed hundreds in that small area. They were able to show that it all traced back to one water pump and when people switched to other water sources the disease stopped. Apparently some people in London had pits in the basement where the chamber pots were emptied. Once full they would hire someone to empty them. If you were too poor it just overflowed. One such basement was leaking through the wall into the soil, not far from the pump. They also had a sewer system in the city but it just emptied directly into the Thames River. There was a group of people that lived as 'sewer rats'. They would enter the sewers to look for valuables that had been lost in the sewer. It was stated that few of them died of cholera, maybe due to an immunity they picked up, though it was not uncommon for them to die from breathing noxious gasses or from burns when their candles set of small explosions of gas.
Humors were to blame. They get in through your pores so don't bath often and your pores won't open and let them in.
ROBBYBOBBY64.
 

Toma777

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I've been collecting family heirlooms from eBay and Esty and I though this book looked interest, (being I've been buying medicine bottles from around 1880 to 1912):


The author is probably a cousin of mine.

I'd like to pick up some of Daniel Haller's stuff, who I know is a cousin (my father knew him) He did cheesy horror movies and goofy television shows:

 

Ginger Ale collector

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I ran into some information about the history of water supply disinfection. To stop the spread of Typhoid and Cholera. Water supplies being contaminated. I believe not many people trusted chemicals in their water. Probably why bottled waters were so popular. It all started with a doctor named John L. Leal . He added chloride of lime to the tap water of Jersey City. Interesting stuff. And to think it all started in New Jersey (1908).
ROBBYBOBBY64. https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/history.html
Hi RobbyBobby,

Very interesting thread. You might find this little article interesting.

Ken

 

ROBBYBOBBY64

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