A Simple History of Water Purification

The history of water purification traces its roots way back to 2000 BC. Sanskrit writings prove this in their early writings, drafting the methods for purifying water. The documents describe methods such as boiling or placing hot metal objects in the water or filtering water with charcoal or crude sand before consumption. Then Hippocrates, the Father Of Medicine, expounded on water purification with his experiments. According to him, purified water is needed to maintain a healthy body and to heal a sick body. In addition to what the Sanskrit and Egyptian people did, Hippocrates used a cloth bag as a filter to trap any sediment from the water which caused an offensive smell or taste.

During the Middle Ages, the Greek and Roman civilizations also contributed to the history of water purification as proven by the aqua ducts they had made to route waterways. They also were the first to invent municipal water systems. Similar aqua ducts are also one of the technologies of the Mayans in America.

The history of water purification also includes how people during the Enlightenment Period took into account the use of water in their lives as their basic natural right. According to them, every person is entitled to drink and bathe using clean water. Thus, they started using sand filters.

In 1627 just after the Dark Ages, Sir Francis Bacon marked the history of water purification with his experiment on desalination of seawater. He also made use of filtering as a method with the use of the sand. However, he was not able to prove his hypothesis. His experiment opened the eyes of other scientists who then followed what he did, but they used other methods and steps. This led to an advanced technology, which we are enjoying today. The history of water purification also acknowledges names like Zacharias Janssen, Hans Janssen, and Anton Van Leeuwenhoek who were pioneers during the renaissance period because of the lenses they discovered. These lenses were used for telescopes and microscopes. These optical devices were utilized by scientists to study water filtration and purification. The known people who used microscopes to study water systems are Robert Hooke, who further refined the device, and John Snow, who linked cholera with water contamination by the use of the microscope. He also was the first one to recognize chlorine as a treatment to water. With this, the cases of cholera and typhoid decreased rapidly.

In the 1800s, the names Robert Thom and James Simpson emerged as they presented to the world their innovated water treatment plants. These were then adopted and further innovated by scientists in the United States. The history of water purification also records the Clean Water Act of 1972 which states that treatment plants should be installed for the public to have clean water for consumption. Now, we are enjoying the advanced innovations of water filtration and purification systems.

Getting to know about the history of water purification is just not for fun or additional knowledge. As we learn how water purification was done primitively, we can picture and apply their methods too at some points in our lives.