New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-08-28
M1LIRLAL nLSEASE.

The death last week of Henry Armltt Brown
from typhoid fever has called the attention of
Philadelphians to the working of the sewerage
system of that city. It appears that months
ago DR.. Gross, and other eminent physi-
clans, reported the whole system as defective,
declaring that owing to the absence of proper
traps the escape of sewer gas into the houses
was ncessant. 1t was proposed, we believe,
"a a first step toward reform, to send n COM
mittee TO investigate the drainage of European
cities, but the City Fathers, suspcctng an in
tended holiday At their expense, withheld the
supplies. Now that popular citizen has
fallen q victim 10 the disease, they are bestir-
ring themselves again 10 look into the cause.
Phladelphians, however, like all other Amer
leans, Will probably be more energetic in the
work of cure than of prevention.
The season is just beginning when malaria
of every kind gains ground most rapidly.
The decomposition of vegetable matter III the
Fall begets intermittent ievers, and the golden
mists of September, beloved of poets and
painters, are, in fact but heavy fogs from the
low lands, which compress the atmosphere and
make 1t n more solid vehicle TO transmit con
tagion. Typhoid, as all our readers ought TO
know, Is conveyed by animal poison. a
single ease, unless the closets, drains, ETC., are
thoroughly disinfected, is enough TO poison a
whole neIghborhood. This fever has prevailed
as an epidemic this Summer in the City of
Bristol, in England Search was made for the
cause and il has been discovered that lady
of Clifton, while c0nvalescent of typhoid, was
ordered to the country; she found board
with a dairy farmer near Bristol; the
well from which water was taken To clean
the milk vessels land, perhaps, to water the
milk was but few feet from the closet drain.
Typhoid appeared in nearly every family to
which the milk was served. We instance this
case to show how subtle are the means OF
contagion, yet how easy the prevention.
Americans are but just beginning to grasp
this matter Of disease i'll practical way. In
England when a case of virulent fever occurs,
the family, no matter how high their social
position, are obliged to submit their premises
TO thorough official process of disinfection /;
the patient is isolated, and the disease checked.
I'm Scotland, when ease of typhoid fever is
reported, the house in which it has occurred
is closed peremptorily, and the owner is
not permitted to occupy or rent it
until the cause of the disease has
been discovered and the disinfection is
officially pronounced complete. But who would
dare order q freeborn American out of his
house, even to prevent the poisoning Of q
whole community
In default of any official means of proven
ton, we recommend our readers before return
ing from the country TO look well to the
drainage of their houses in town. Spend
enough money on traps, waste-pipes, etc, if
your floors go bare and You dine on potatoes
and milk for the rest of the year. And if a
case of typhoid or other fever occurs, have no
scruples of false pride or feeling about sub
hitting the patient to a proper isolation and
disinfectiOn for the good of others. There
was divine as well as human wisdom in the
Jewish law which put the unclean person
without the camp. 1t is misfortune enough to
be i'll, without becoming an instrument of
death to others.