The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1871-10-12
The Cause OF TYnhnid Fever.

DR.. e. M.-Snow, of Providence, r. L.,
in the Medical and Surgical Reporter,
says: There are several diseases prevs-
lent in New England, the causes of
which are mysterious, and seem thus far
to battle all investigation. Among them
are typhoid fever and diphtheria. It is
very common, in the voluminous reports
of some "Heslth Departments" to as
cribe these diseases to foul air from sew
ers, and one eminent physician, we'll
known throughout the land, in On elab-
crate essay, gives the use of ice as the
chief cause of diphtheria. -.
A sufficient answer to these theorists
is the fact that both typhoid fever and
diphtheris prevail tenfold more in the
most rural districts of New England,
where sewers and the use of ice are al
most unknown, than in cities. We have
long been satisfied that the cause of ty-
phoid fever is of vegetable origin, while
the cause Of typhus or ship fever is un-
doubtedly of animal origin. ...e
A recent report of local outbreak of
typhoid fever, in Islington, England,
which we find in the British Medical
Journal of November 26, 1870, is ex-
tremely interesting and valuable in il
lustration of this subject. ..u r.
1t seems that in July and August, 1870,
there wss o severe outbreak of typhoid
fever in the parish of Islington, which it
was impossible to account for on any
theory Of local miasm, bad drainage, or
poor water supply. as none of these
causes existed there. Besides this most
of the cases of fever were in the houses
of the wealthy, which were free from the
commonly reputed causes of this dis
ease.
Within less than q semicircle Of q
quarter of mile radius, 16S cases of ty-
phoid fever occurred within ten weeks,
and thirty persons died. ...
Many causes for the sickness were
named, all of which were easily shown
to be groundless, until, at last, some one
suggested connection between the dis
ease and the distribution of milk from o
particular dairy. As the investigation
progressed, the evidence became entirely
convincing that this was the true expls-
nation of the disease. Out of lao fami-
lies supplied with milk from this dairy,
20 suffered from typhoid fever. The dis
dairy in separate streets and squares,
leaving other houses Immediately adjoin-
ing. It attacked females and children,
the largest consumers of the milk out of
all proportion to male adults, and in sew
eral instances the only persons who had
the fever in several families were those
who used this particular milk.
The fact seemed to be established that
the milk from this dairy was the cause of
the fever, and the next step was to ascer-
tain how the milk became contaminated.
An investigation showed that the wa
ter supply ct this dairy was from an old
underground tank. This water tank
was built Of wood, and was much de-
cayed, and in part had fallen away. The
probability seemed to be that the mix
ture of water from this tank with the
milk was the cause of the fever. The
owner Of the dairy suggested that as the
milk cans were washed with this water,
possibly enough might remain in them
to poison the milk.
The case is quite interesting, as afford
ing possible clue to the discovery of
the causes of this mysterious and fatal
disease.
A few months since in this city, there
were several cases of typhoid fever, the
origin of which was mysterious, and the
suggestion was made that it was con-
nected with the supply of milk. In
that case the family from which the milk
came had the fever, and some persons
thought the spread of the disease was
due to contagion. The case we have re-
lated from England may suggest q pos
sible cause for the disease in this city
without resort to the doctrine of per-
sonal contsgion, which the best authori-
ties do not ascribe to typhoid fever.