THE SUPPOSED DANGERS OF SEWAGE FARMS.

Waikato Times, Volume IV, Issue 180, 3 July 1873, Page 2

THE SUPPOSED DANGERS OF SEWAGE FARMS.

Or Alfred Caipentci- Im icputsd, to a question raised by the Croy(ion Microscopical Club as to the possible effect of the ova of entozoa upon human beings through the operation of sewage farms. Up states that the subject is one which h.is engaged .1 g»od deil of his attention ever since sett ag» f.ll ma were esublisln-d, and ho had gi\ en the matter his SLi 10,13 consider itmn He has had occasion to express thcopinio-ith.it although the dangers feai ed mi^ht arise they did not. [t wa=» found bv refcrenco to the books of the Poor Law Medical Officers, by inquiries of his own medical friends, and by his own experience, that cases of icenia tali um \ver< all but unknown among the inhabitants of Croydon. When cases did occur, it was generally (nob invariably, of couise) among those who had lived some time in India, in sorue part of the centre of Europe, or in Africa, showing conclusively that the ova developing the disease had been planted in the human frame in other countries. People who mule the charge against sewago farms did not know anything about the management of them, and described them in a manner contrary to fact. They supposed that the ova of entozoa would be carried on to the laud, applied to the crops, and then consumed- aa ova by the cattle upon the farm. This idea showed at once their want of knowledge aa to what sewage farming meant. No such contamination could occur, except by accident, such as might happen to anybody's kitchen, where meat which might find its way into the cook's hands with trichina spiralU, or other parasites in it, was not properly cooked, or was eaten raw. If people cooked their meat properly , no evil could result, and if sewage farms were properly managed no danger from entozoa could arise. Of course the possibility of such an accident was to be guarded against, but it was not sound argument against a sewage farm. With reference to another pomt — the destination of the millions of ova of entozoa which undoubtedly do find their way to the irrigation farm at Beddington — Dr Carpenter states that he often searched for them years ago, at the outfall, but never found them. He thought Uj§F» good work might be done in solving the question of dewj(^mont by following out a point which he had not hitborto found time to do. He hud an idea that the ot» of enfcplOa, placed in other channels, in other conditions as to moisturo mid temperature, might develop into some other form than, that of parasites. He had not found the ova of entozoa ; but 111 every running stream exposed to the air be had never Uilcd to find the blood-red worm, the "naid," waving its body iibout. It was contrary to received opinion that such a development should occur ; but whence the " uaid," and where uere the parasitic ova of the entozoa? With reference to this latter question, Mr H. Lee, the well-known naturalist, lias offered to place at the disposal of Dr Carpenter an apparatus which he has at Brighton, and wnicli can be submitted to the action of a running stream as long as may be necessary. The solution of the problem is important, as tending to "prove the fallacy or otherwise of one of the supposed dangers of sewago farming.