Letter of the Day, March 19

As we can see from this letter, the Museum did a lot of examinations for bacteria.

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 7395

War Department,
Office of the Surgeon General,
Army Medical Museum and Library,
Washington

March 19, 1904

1st Lieut. Clyde S. Ford,
Asst. Surgeon, U.S.A.
Fort H. G. Wright,
New York

Dear Doctor:

Your letter of the 16th inst. With slides and cultures were received this morning. I have examined both cultures and find the streptococcus quite numerous in the culture from Olsen, while only a few chains are found in the one from Beecher. No diptheria bacilli could be found in either and I think you are right in regarding the cases as those of streptococcus infection. We will incubate the tubes and make another examination on Monday; if we find the diptheria bacillus I will let you know; if you do not hear from me you will know the result is negative.

Yours very truly,
James Carroll
1st Lieut. Asst. Surgeon, U.S.A.
Curator, Army Medical Museum

Another example of bacterial examination was done two days previously…

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 7392

War Department,
Office of the Surgeon General,
Army Medical Museum and Library,
Washington

March 17, 1904

To the Surgeon General,
U.S. Army
(Through the Officer in charge of Museum & Library Division)

Sir:

I have the honor to submit the following report of the result of a bacteriological examination of three (3() samples of water from the White House, and which were numbered 1, 2 and 3 respectively:

No. 1, from tap in basement of White House. No gas appeared in any of the ten fermentation tubes charged each with 1 c.c. of the water an dincubated for four days. Numerical count: 783 bacteria per cubic centimeter.

No. 2, water passed through one cylinder of the filter. Two of the ten fermentation tubes contain 10% and 12% of gas respectively on the fourth day. The quantity of the gas was too small and its formation too slow to be indicative of the presence fo the colon bacillus. Numerical count: 646 bacteria per cubic centimeter.

No. 3, from tap in basement of office of White House. Of ten fermentation tubes charged with this water, two cotnained gas in the proportion of 45 and 60 per cent respectively on the fourth day. No gas was present after 24 hours and the quantity ultimately formed was too large for the colon bacillus. Numerical count: 663 bacteria per cubic centimeter.

Summary. The number of bacteria present in all the samples is excessive, the permissible maximum number being 100 per c.c. The excess may be due to multiplication of bacteria in the filter iteslf as a result of imperfect cleansing or lack of proper means for sterilizing it; to multiplication of bacteria in the water in storage after filtration or to imperfection in the filter itself. No. 2 was perfectly clear when received; No. 3 was slightly clouded and No. 1 was yellowish in color and has since thrown down a rather dense precipitate. The defect might be remedied to some extent by more frequent and more prolonged washings of the filtering material or by changing its composition which is boneblack, sand and polarite in varying proportions according to the character of the water to be filtered.

Very respectfully,

James Carroll
1st Lieut. Asst. Surgeon, U.S.A.
Curator, Army Medical Museum