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The importance of having detailed bacteriological examinations
of these waters, carried out periodically, has also been
urged, and the Council is endeavouring to secure the co-operation
of other Districts involved in the Sutton supply to meet
the expense required to obtain the services of an expert in
bacteriology. An arrangement has been already made with
other authorities interested in the Kenley water, and this has
been referred for monthly examination to an eminent chemical
expert. The chemical analyses thus arranged for have so far
been extremely favourable, and so have been the added
bacteriological reports, but the latter are excessively meagre
in the information given.
The relative importance of chemical and bacteriological
examinations may be put thus:— The former aims at discovering
the quantity (usually very minute) of organic matter in the
water, because, although this cannot by itself produce epidemic
disease, it is sometimes the vehicle of poison which may do so;
the latter attempts to discover whether there are present any
organisms which can actually produce disease, or, as an
alternative, others which are known to exist in the human body
or in sewage, and whose presence would indicate that there
was no obstacle to the introduction of the more dangerous
varieties. The latter is obviously the more exact method, but
bacteriology is still young, and much depends on the examiner
and his methods. It is at least essential to test large volumes
of water at a time, instead of a drop or two, in order that, if
only a few of the dangerous organisms are present, the chance
of overlooking them may be reduced to a minimum.
VI.—SEWERAGE AND SEWAGE DISPOSAL.
The alterations at the Council's Sewage Works at
Merton, whereby chemical precipitation tanks and artificial
filters are to be provided, were not completed at the close of
the year, although, by the terms of the contract, they should
have been finished several months ago.