The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-01-09
Typhoid Fever.
BY STEPHEN SMITH, NJ. D., HEALTH COMMITS
sIoNER OF NEW YORK.

Typhoid Fever.
BY STEPHEN SMITH, NJ. D., HEALTH COMMITS
sIoNER OF NEW YORK.
From The independent. vi
Typhoid fever is the great autumnaI
scourge of our country. 1t attacks the high
and the low, the rich and the poor, the resi-
dent of the country, village, and city. The
family of the most humble and lowly seems
no more liable to il than the family of the
most exalted in wealth and rank. II has no
more respect for the royal family of England
than for the poor PEASANTS household.
Prince Albert fell Il victim to it, and to-day
the heir apparent is Frustrated under its re-
morscless grasp.
We may gain some idea of the vast harvest
of sickness and death which this reaper an
nus ''v gathers from the following facts 1t
| IL estimated that from 100000 to 49,. 900 peo-
pie annually suffer from this dista-e in Eng
land alone.
The causation Of typhoid fever, though
long cnveloped in obscurity, is now well
KNOWN. 1t Is one of the so-callcd Hfilth
diseases . of modern sanitary writer's. Its
most ordinary exciting causes is air or drink
ing water befoulcd with excremental mat
| tiers. II is also quite certain that a person
| suffering from this fever may himself infect
the air Of his room or the water which re-
| ceivcs his eXcrcta with germs of the disease
so rs to transmit it to others. \ single case
may thus be the fruitful source o: wide
spread epidemic.
The facts illustrating the origin Of typhoitls
| from cXcrcnlcntal matters in drinkin~ water
| are now very numerous and very instructive.
Every experienced physician can give striking
examples occurring under his own obscrya-
| ton. 1t not untrcquCntly happens that the
actual source of the disease is VERY obscure,
and can only he discovered by the most per-
siStrnt and intelligent inquiry but the scicn-
tific student is generally rewarded with com
plcte success. The following examples will
| illustrate the methods Of communicating the
! fever:
In small German settlement ii The upper
part of the city there WIS il severe outbreak
Of dySentcry and typhoid fever. i physi-
clan. called to attend so!i!u OF the cases, set
to work to find out tl:2 cul>c. Dn inquiry
us to the water-supriy, lie wa3 directed to Il
spring on low ground Ill the AMIDST Of the
settlement, so situated Il; - receive The sur
face drainage. TIE water Wa lnrc and
sparkling to the sight and taste, and was
| loudly praised by The owner Of ia spring.
4 quantity put i'll II bottle aisci allowed to
stand for Il few hours tllrcT: down n thick
sediment Of most offensive mater. The peo-
dcmic ceased at once.
In 4 ncighboling village typhoid fever
broke out, and prevailed with ,yrcat violence
in given locality. Search was made for the
cause by the attending physician, but i'll
vain. They appealed for aid from the health
authorities OF New York; and IN expert
officer examined the history Of the outbreak
and The locality, aud predicted that 4 certain
hydrant which supplied the victims with
drinking water communicated at some point
with house-dlaiis OF the street sewer. The
Watcr-pipe was examined, and at Il distance
| from the hydrant 4 house-draim was found
leaking into it al Il point where they ira
yeIScd each other. The repair Of these pipes
was the cure Of the epidemic.
While visiting in an interior township OF
this State famous for hcalthruincss and the
beauty Of its scenery became interested il
the history of 4 family which WAS suffering
from typhoid fever. or eight nlenihcTS five
| had pcriShCd. and one was then fatally sick.
On visiting the locality the holl-e WIS found
situated on IN elevation, and I'LL IL surround
ings were admirably arranged Tor health.
one could readily believe the statement thai
| there had not been case Of sickness i'll the
house tor twelve years. The following his
| tory Of the present sickness was given y
few weeks before the fever appeared the
unmp in the we'll broke. and tiic farmer. be-
inr driven with his work. neglected. to have
| il rcMlired. Meantime tie servant brought
the water frGm spring st lie foot OF toe
| hili which soon became low. owing TO the
| drought. lie then reScried to Il small brook,
and from this source the family were SUP
piled for two or three weeks. hi: stream.
| higher I'D, ran Through scycia! farm yards
and received the surface drainage. The first
symptoms Of poison hy this W..::r were &Ii.l!
nausea and q mild tiiarrhO.!: ;.!tci' several
days. typhoid fever in lis Wors; form was
uShcrcd in. OF the entire family int two
escaped al attack, and they did act uscthe
water. IN examination Of this water re-
rcalcd Il sediment O.! cXcremcGlal matters.
The death OF Prince Albert 10y typhoid L.
yer gave rise to mach discussion is to the
course of the poison. Expert SanitarianS
rontrnticd that Inc had Iccn exposed to sewer
cases orthcir equivalent. Court physicians de-
ni,d that there was amy possibility ci such cN-
posurc at Windsor Castle, where he had spent
several weeks preceding the attack. \ care
| ful search was made Of tie drains. sewers,
| etc., Of the Castle, but no leakage or possible
escape of gases could be discovered. At
| length an old sewer map Of tie district WIS.
| consulted and il was found That before the
| Castle WAS built al old sewer ran across the
| grounds draining an adjacent settlement.
! Tie sewer WAS now explored, "nd at I! point
| directly under the library. where the Prince
spent much Of his time, there WAS a break,
allowing the escape of sewer gases directly
into the library.
One Of the most important lessons for house
| holds to learn is that eXcri mental matters
roluting tile air they breathe TT he wafer
they drink will cal!>c typhoid iryer. Ii
/ should lie called "cyrlrncnt f,ytr.r 50 that
when the name is spoken every "!e is remind
ed Of its cause. Far too lilt!, attention Is
given to this most fruitful source OF sickness
and death in cities. towns, and villages, and
by country residents. Eycrcncnt;il matters
should lie at once disposed Of, so that they
cannot by any possibility tant tie air We
breathe or the water we drink. This may
readily he effected by disinGcciants. Of Which
the best is dry earth. Drinking water should
always he taken from well or springs stu
ated above the level Of human limitations, or
so deeply, as artcsian wells, that they cannot
receive surface drainage.
THE CONFEDERATE AncHIvre.- William J..
Stone recently delivered an Grafton in New
York. In the course Of his remarks he gave
the following bit of information concerning