Stagnant Water. -- stagnant water is, from the large quantity of organic matter in a decomposing state which it holds in suspension or solution, exceedingly unfitted for drinking and culinary purposes, no matter how transparent it may appear; and it should, in consequence, he carefully avoided whenever running water can possibly be procured. Pond-water, Canal-water, ditch-water and marsh-water all come under this category, and should be scrupulously shunned, under penalty of suffering from fever and ague, dysentery, typhoid fever, and many other dangerous maladies.

Almost as if to emphasize my last point about my distaste for the excessive use of punctuation in the form of hyphens, the author almost seems to throw it in my face with this particular section. If I were driving a car through the cornfields of Illinois where I was born, and I was hampered in my journey due to the excessive bugs that tend to plaster windshields and evening, this would be akin to what the author is doing here only if I was suddenly swatted with a car covers sized bug, which after living in Illinois for many years is something that I'm sure exists.

Additional Articles from the Book of Medicine:

• SECTIONAL VIEW OF THE BRAIN, FACE AND THROAT
  
  

  Today were looking at another section, this one reviewing the brain, face and throat. I warn you in advance that the review is somewhat incomplete by the authors of the book and it’s more a review of the image that of any actual body parts. Before you too far into this section I just mention that this seems to be an initial trend of using many words to describe nothing. It’s possible that this medical book was the Seinfeld of its day.

  The Brain And Its Bony Citadel.- the arches, with true anatomical instinct in a rare technical ability in regard to accuracy in minute detail, has performed as part of the work in this illustration with such faithful fidelity to nature that one cannot withhold a word of praise at the grand style and elaborate manner of its execution. This elegant and artistic anatomical plate represents the brain held firmly in position within its strong bony citadel, but collect and 20 from above downward, thus showing its internal mechanism and construction; besides which it gives the internal arrangements of the nose, tongue, throat and neck.

  This initial section, or rather the first paragraph of the of this section provides more praise to the artist and description of the actual topic, which in case you missed it is a picture showing a cross-section of the human head and neck to include the spinal column.  The image is labeled correctly and is in color.the same picture could’ve been provided in a textbook as late as 20 or 30 years ago at a grade school or high school level.  The diagram is accurate as far as labels and body parts are concerned, however they’re drawing and rendering are somewhat untrue to form and don’t exactly provide the insights into the function of the movable parts quite like we may see a representation today.

  The diagram for the tongue in particular is somewhat peculiar looking and seems to show an example of the tongue lopped off or half swallowed.  This aspect of the drying is a little odd, and I suspect the artist may have taken some liberties in their drawing to expedite the process and that all the pieces in their approximate space.

• Stagnant Water
  
  

  Stagnant Water. — stagnant water is, from the large quantity of organic matter in a decomposing state which it holds in suspension or solution, exceedingly unfitted for drinking and culinary purposes, no matter how transparent it may appear; and it should, in consequence, he carefully avoided whenever running water can possibly be procured. Pond-water, Canal-water, ditch-water and marsh-water all come under this category, and should be scrupulously shunned, under penalty of suffering from fever and ague, dysentery, typhoid fever, and many other dangerous maladies.

  Almost as if to emphasize my last point about my distaste for the excessive use of punctuation in the form of hyphens, the author almost seems to throw it in my face with this particular section. If I were driving a car through the cornfields of Illinois where I was born, and I was hampered in my journey due to the excessive bugs that tend to plaster windshields and evening, this would be akin to what the author is doing here only if I was suddenly swatted with a car covers sized bug, which after living in Illinois for many years is something that I’m sure exists.

• Avoiding Cholera
  
  

  Avoiding Cholera. — a first and highly important warning, therefore, which these and many other similar occurrences give us is never to drink any water which, by any possibility, could have become contaminated with the smallest particle discharge from the bowels of a person suffering from cholera or choleraic diarrhea.

  This ending on Cholera, is slightly confusing at first as the 100 year old grammar is slightly odd.  However, the general lesson seems to be coming across.  Its a lesson talking about germs essentially, Cholera specifically.  But the author is painting a picture for the lay person that small particles can contaminate water and make everyone sick.