ICE: PURE AND IMPURE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVII, Issue 10242, 3 September 1909, Page 1

ICE: PURE AND IMPURE.

It has been generally believed that many disease germs are not killed at the freezing-point, and that therefore ice in ordinary storage, if made from infected water; remains permanently dangerous-. We recently quoted the results of experiments seeking to Show that the contrary is true, and it would now appear that the freezing temperature kills all germs if it is only maintained long enough. All ice, therefore, when stored for a sufficient time, becomes germ-free and is healthful. The sterility of old ice from infected waters is a matter of such great importance, as far as public health is concerned, that it is somewhat strange it does not receive more comment. It is twenty years since Prudden made his classical experiment in freezing water infected with pathogenic organisms and then recovering them some Weeks later. Since then the medical profession—particularly the health authorities—have been of the opinion that freezing is more or less harmless to seWSge-borne disease germs, and that ice is always dangerous. Within only a few years has it been discovered that freezing is so injurious to protoplasm that in the course of time all organisms die. Prudden did not carry, his, tests far enough. Experiments made by Dr William H; Park and others show that in three days half the frozen bacilli are dead, in seven days seven-eighths, and in four weeks „the water is as pure as though filtered; after four months the danger 13 negligible, and after six months there is no danger. It is understood that other testa have been made, but the results have not been given that wide publicity demanded by public safety. It takes time for cold to kill the organisms, and there is some danger after all."

The crusade for pure ice should be kept up, however, declares this writer, notwithstanding the fact that remarkably few epidemics are recorded in which the blame has been definitely fixed'upon old ice. He "continues: "There was just such an outbreak of typhoid in an American institution some years ago and the live organisms were recovered from the ice cut from a river a short distance below a sewer outlet. Other epidemics or isolated cases have been similarly traced both here and in Europe; Even if we had no such evidence) .no o.ne. wants to drink frozen sewage, though its germs be as dead as a doornail. The high cost may compel us to permit companies to harvest a crop from contaminated waters unfit for drinking, providing it is stored under public seal and is not sold until tests show it to be harmless. It has been customary for some companies to cut river ice immediately below sewer outlets. This disgusting and dangerous trade should be ended once and for all, and its promoters driven out of business, even if their goods are sterile after six or eight months. For the present, and until all dealers can arrange to harvest uncontaminated ice, the crops from slightly contaminated sources might be passed under the above restrictions as to storage. The problem is to determine how much concentration of sterile sewage the public palate will tolerate, how long to keep the ice, and what degree of contamination is prohibitive. "Infected articficial ice is a very serious matter, because it is sold immediately after manufacture, and the organisms present are virulent. It was found in the District of Columbia that some of the factories were horribly filthy and colon bacilli were recovered from the ice. Occasionally the methods are so filthy that the ice contains more bacteria than the,water from which it is made. Our confidence in artificial ice has been sadly misplaced. If this ice were stored for some months, it too would become sterile, but it is impractical to lock up capital in this way. This newly discovered disgusting practice may fully account for the distribution of typhoid, and it is high time that the ice factories be placed under restraint and compelled to be decent enough to respect public health."