New-York tribune., 1885-10-22
MUCH FEVER IN BROOKLYN.
MANY CASES WITH TYPHOID SYMPTOMS.
APPEARING IN THE HEALTHIEsr PLACES-Do DE-
CAYING LEAVES CAUSE 1T !


CAYING LEAVES CAUSE TT
Some alarm has been caused in Brooklyn IN the
last few days by the appearance OF an uhusuaI
number of cases of typhoid fever there WpllC us
presence is reported IN various parts OF lhe WV
the district in the vicinity of Court-st and IIrSI-
place to be the place of its greatest pIeVai-
ence. Within haf-a-dozen blocks u tha1 ulslllct Gu
at least fifteen persons i'll with the ulsease vi
something closely resembling it. One death from
it occurred on Sunday. The victim was nenIy H.
Marvin, young man yng aI No, ccds doi in tIe citv
In fact this entire district is most perfectly
dIaIned The ground slopes away from II III an
directions and 1t difficult TO CONCEIVE OF any icca
cause for the existence of the fever. Dr. Nj. u
Turner OF No. 81 Frst-pace, III response to an IN
quiry of a TRIBUNE reporter, said
" Yes | believe there are some cases OF typnold
fever in this neighborhood i am attending some
at present, bat | do not think that there is any
for alarm on the part of any one he Iepor,s
about it have been greatly exaggerated, ana SOlne
have been reported sick with II when IN reanty
they were suffering from maarlal troubles or re-
mittent fever. | have no theory 10 advance as 10
the cause of it here. Brooklyn Is, Is one ,tor or
tine healthiest cities in the world Otr Wa!er
is pure, the streets are kept clean and the draih-
Charles Denim the druggist, of No. 3s3 Court
ST.. stated that he and his assistant had been kept
unusually busy filling PRESCRIPTIONS for the pasa
two weeks in consequence Of the sickness IN the
neighbOrhOOd " AS understand, sald ne, those
afflicted nearly all people that have been away
( in the mountains during the summer, ana tnlS
causes many to think that the defective drainage
of the summer hotels where they boarded had
something to do with 1T. as most Oh theih ~ WelS
taken sick soon ds they got back, whlie thoSe OF
the same family who remained at nome OF wont
down to the seaside escaped entirely. 1hem; some
attribute the disease to another cause. Inc oiH
Masters mansion in CllntOn-st was made over last
summer and during the work II is Sald ihaI Il cess
pool in the yard was left uncovered but tnls
happened last June and II is rather late for tne el
fects of this to appear. With few exceptions me
around here are not strictly tnoSe OF iSPnSu
fever but nearly all exhibit symptoms OF IT, II ne
first appeared right afterthe cold snap Oh TWO
weeks ago." eC
One case of typhus is reported DR.. Watt, OF Car
rol-st who was formerly Register of Vital sta
tistics did not think there was anything phenom-
eual in the appearance OF the disease at thls Te'
1--WE have 1t every autumn" sad me- ana o9
not think il is unusually prevalent Ihls yeu
am attending three or four cases of typhoid fever
now but am inclined 10 think that the majority
Of those sick around here are suffering from nutn +
ing but remittent fever OF particularly Tioleht
type. 1t to me tlat the cause OF the disease
here aud elsewhere throughout the city Is appaf-
ent. We have had lao frost yet, although IL IS
nearly November. Every street Is covered WIN
leaves in the process of decay we nave hau
warm and wet days almost alternately thronshou,t u,
this month. BrOCklyn's streets are paved IN Such
a manner as to make them well-nlgn lmperNlous
to the RAIN What is the resultf Why simply
vertable manure pile from ono end OF the Guy 10
the other. The cxbalations from tins decaym9
vegetation arc bound to make themselves 1eit ana
the effects are just as likely 10 appear IN one Ioca
" as III another. Right around mere we nave
large number or trees. Perhaps this accounts loT
ii. OF course this district is well drained, but
sewer gas ascends you know. and It escapes all
around MS. This is what makes lOw-lying regions
in cities healthier, often than elevated ones"
The Health Board is investigating the matter.
The following notice was sent on Monday 10 e2ch
of the l 1,O56 physicians of Brooklyn:
The alleged presence in the city of TYPHOID fever to an
unusual extent-not cOrroboTated by official reports 10
this Department-ead to address the physicians OF
Brooklyn the purpose of requesting that all cases OF
typhoid fever that may in the future shd he re-
ported and that any that have occurred IN your
practice during the last three months that nave n9t
ALREADY been repored shall without delay be reported
Please sate upoI the report whether in your opinion
the disease contracted within or without the city
Secretary WyclOf stated yesterday that the few
replies to this that had been received tended to
show that the disease was not prevailing to any
unusual extent. But" he added, il IS impossi-
ble TO draw any conclusions from half dozen
answers During the months of July, August and
September. 1884, there were forty deaths from
typhoid fever IN Brooklyn. During the same period
this year there were only thlrty-slx."