London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1899
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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28
IV. —TABLES AND DIAGRAMS DEALING WITH THE RESULTS OF THE
BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE CRUDE SEWAGE,
OF THE EFFLUENTS FROM THE COKE-BEDS, OF THE EFFLUENTS
FROM THE CHEMICAL PRECIPITATION WORKS, AND OF SAMPLES
OF THAMES WATER.
Table I., showing the results of the bacteriological examination of Crossness crude sewage, the effluent from the 4-foot coke-bed, the effluent from the 6-foot coke-bed, and the effluent from the laboratory vessel (effluent from 6-foot coke-bed again treated in the laboratory at Crossness).
| Expt. | Description of the samples. | Total number of bacteria in 1 c.c. of the sample. | Number of spores of bacteria in 1 c.c. of the sample. | Number of bacteria causing liquefaction of the gelatine in 1 c.c. of the sample. | Remarks. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. | |
| 1 | Crossness crude sewage, May 11, 1898. | 3,930,000 (average of two expts. with 0.0001 and 0.0000l c.c. sewage). | 460 (one expt. with 0.l c.c. sewage). | 400,000 (one expt. with 0.0000l c.c. sewage). | Spores of B. enteritidis present in milk culture containing 0.l c.c. sewage; absent in cultures containing 0.01, 0.001, and 0.000l c.c. sewage. In phenol gelatine plate containing 0.0000l c.c. sewage, no colonies of B. coli. |
| 2 | Crossness effluent from 4-foot coke bed, May 11, 1898. | 4,800,000 (average of two expts. with 0.0001 and 0.0000l c.c. effluent). | 260 (one expt. with 0.l c.c. effluent). | 1,300,000 (one expt. with 0.0000l c.c. effluent). | Spores of B. enteritidis present in 0.0l c.c.; absent in 0.00l and 0.0001 c.c. effluent. In phenol gelatine plate containing 0.0000l c.c. effluent, at least two colonies of B. coli. No fluorescent colonies noted in any of the cultures on the fifth day. |
| 3 | Crossness crude sewage, May 18,1898. | 3,670,000 (average of two expts. with 0.0001 and 0.0000l c.c. sewage). | 300 one expt. with 0.l c.c. sewage). | 100,000 (one expt. with 0.0000l c.c. sewage). | Spores of B. enteritidis present in 0.l, 0.0l, and 0.00l c.c. sewage. An agar plate culture incubated at 37° C. yielded only 1,260,000 bacteria per c.c. sewage as compared with 3,670,000 by gelatine plate culture at 20° C. Gas-forming coli bacteria, 300,000 in 1 c.c. sewage. |
| 4 | Crossness effluent from 4-foot coke-bed, May 18, 1898. | 4,100,000 (average of two expts. with 0.000l and 0.00001 c.c. effluent). | 140 (one expt. with 0.l c.c. effluent). | 700,000 (one expt. with 0.0000l c.c. effluent). | Spores of B. enteritidis present in 0.l and 0.0l c.c.; absent in 0.00l c.c. effluent. An agar plate culture incubated at 37° C. yielded only 1,630,000 bacteria per c.c. effluent as compared with 4,100,000 by gelatine plate culture at 20° C. Gas-forming coli, at least 200,000 per c.c. effluent. |
| 5 | Crossness crude sewage, May 25, 1898. | 6,400,000 (one expt. with 0.0000l c.c. sewage). | 370 (one expt. with 0.l c.c. sewage). | 900,000 (one expt. with 0.00001 c.c. sewage). | The liquefaction of the gelatine with 0.000l c.c. sewage (col. 2) was so great that this culture could not be counted; the cultivation, however, containing 0.0000l c.c. sewage was counted. Spores of B. enteritidis in 0.l and 0.0l c.c.; absent in 0.00l c.c. sewage. Gas-forming coli, 1,500,000 in 1 c.c. sewage (see photo 1, Plate I., First Report). An agar plate culture incubated at 37° C. yielded 1,171,000 colonies per c.c. sewage. |