The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-01-05
TYPHOID FEVER.
by STEPHEN SMITH, N. D., HEALTH con-
MISSIONER OF NEW YORK.. x

high and the low, the rich and tho poor,
the resident Of the country, village and
city. The family Of the most humble and
lowly seems no more liable 10 II than the
family Of the most exalted In wealth and
rank. 1thas no more respect for the royal
family oil England than for the poor peas
ants household. Prince Albert fell q
victim 10 II, and today tho heir APPARENT Is
Frustrated under It's remorseless grasp,
We may gain some idea Of the vast
harvest Of sickness and death, which this
reaper annually gathers from the follow.
ing facts It Is estimated that from 1O0,.
900 to 10000 people annually suffer from
this disease In England alone.
The causation Of typhoid fever, though
long enyeloped In obscurity, Is now well
known. II Is one Of the so.called "tllth
diseases" OF modern sanitary writers. It's
most ordinary exciting causes Is air or
drinking.water beIouled with excrement.
al matters II Is also quite certain that o
person suffering from this fever may him.
self infect tho air Of his room or the wa.
ter which receives his excreta with germs
OF the disease 30 us TO transmit II 10 9th.
ers. A single case may thus be tho fruit.
iul source OF widespread epidemic.
The facts illustrating the origin Of ty.
phoids from excremental matters In drink.
ing-water are now very numerous and
very instructive. Every experienced
physician can give striking examples oc.
curing under his, own observation. II
not unIrequently happens that the actual
source OF the disease Is very obscure, and
can only be discovered by the most per-
sistent and intelligent inquiry; but the
scientific student Is generally rewarded
with complete success. The following
examples will illustrate the methods Of
communicating the fever;
In o small German settlement in the
upper part Of the city there was severe
outbreak of dysentery and typhoid fever.
A physician, called 10 attend some OF the
cases, set TO work to find out the cause.
On inquiry as to the water.supply, he was
directed to spring on low ground.in the
midst Of the settlement, 80 situated as to
receive the surface drainage. The water
was pure aud sparkling to the sight and
the taste, and was loudly praised by the
owner of the spring. A quantity put in a
bottle and allowed to stand for few
hours threw down o thick sediment OF
most offensive matter. The people ceas.
ed to use this water, and the epidemic
ceased ut once.
In neighboring village typhoid fever
broke out, and prevailed with great VIC.
lcnce in given locality. Search was
made for the cause by tho attending ply
sician, but in vain. They appealed for
aid from the health authorities of New
York; and an expert officer examined the
history Of the outbreak, and the locality,
and predicted that certain hydrant,
which supplied the victims with drinking
water, communicated at some point with
houSe.drains OF the street sewer. Tho
water pipe was examined, and at a dis.
lance from the hydrant house drain was
found leaking into it at point where
they travcrsed each other. The repair Of
these pipes was the cure Of the epedemic,
While visiting in an interior township
| OF this State, famous for hCalthfulness and
the beauty of its scenery, became inter.
ested in the history OF n family which
was suffering from typhoid fever. OF
eight members five had persisted, and one
was then fatally sick On visiting the
locality, the house was found situated on
an elevation, and oil its surroundings
wercadmirably arranged for health. One
could readily believe the statement that
there had not been case of sickness in
the house for twelve years. The follow
ing history of the present sickness was
given: A few weeks before the fever an
peared the pump in axe well broke.
and the farmer, being driven with
his work, neglected to have it repaired.
Meantime, the servant brought the water
from n spring at the foot Of the hill, which
soon became low, owing to the drought.
lie then resorted to small brook, and
from this source thciamily were supplied
TOR two or three weeks. This stream
higher up, ran through several farm wards
and received the surface drainage. The
first symptoms OF poison by this water
was slight nausea and n mild diarrhTa.
after several days typhoid fever in its
worst form was ushered in. OF the en-.
tire family but two escaped an attack,
and they did not use the water. An ex.
animation Of this water revealed a sedi.
mcnt OF excremental matters.
The death Of Prince Albert by typhoid
fever gave rise TO much discussion as the
course of the poison. Expert sanitarians
contended that he had been exposed 10
sewer gases, or their equivalent. Court
physicians denied that there was any NOS
sibllity Of such exposure at Windsor
Castle, where he had spent several weeks
preceding the attack. A careful search
was made Of the drains, sewers, etc, of
the Castle, but no leakage or possible es.
cape Of gasses. could b. discovered. At
length an old sewer map OF the district
was consulted, and it was found that be.
fore the Castle was built an old sewer ran
across the grounds, draining an adjacent
settlement, The sewer was now ex.
plored, and alta point directly under the
library, where the Prince spent much of
his time, there was break, allowing the
escape Of sewer. gases directly into tho Ii.
brary.
One ofthc most important lessons for
households to learn Is that excremental
matters polluting the air thew breathe, or
the water they drink, will cause typhoid
fever. 1t should be called "excrement
fever" SO that when the name is spoken
every one is reminded of its cause. Far
too little attention is given to this most
fruitful source of sickness, and death in
cities, towns, villages and by country
residents. Excremental matters should
be at once disposed Of, so that they can.
not by any possibility faint the air we
breathe, or the water we drink. This
may readily be effected by disinfectants,
ofwhich the best is dry earth. Drinking
water should always be taken from wells
or springs situated above the level OF hu.
nun ha6itations, or so deeply, as artesisn
%el!s, that they cannot receive surface
/. "THE CuRIosrrlEs OF BAIL" would
form an attractive title on the boclr ~ az