eli5: When people used wells for drinking water, how did they not get sick? Was there some type of filter or was the water just naturally clean?
In: 6475
A old-time well in Europe was closer to a hole in the ground than the Snow White version. Villages and towns usually had some regulations on what could be close to a well, but dirty water was a major factor in disease (and death in infancy). So yes, they often got sick.
Travelers often commented on what the local water was like, and sources were rated. Romans liked to keep their sources separate – the aqueducts don’t mix the flows from each spring or other source.
Latest Answers