The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-09-09
AS APPROPRIATION P ABTY
Gov. Hoadly.
TYPHOID FEVER.
Circular Issued by the state Board
of Health.

There is pretty strong conviction in the minds
OF sanitarians and physicians, that typhoid fever
is disease which has but little right to exist in
| civilized community. Such thoughts regarding
things inevitable and necessary are neither rever-
entail nor profitable; but inteIligently directed
efforts to diminish the prevalence Of typhoid fever
have been followed by so large measure of sue
cess that we are justified in regarding it as one OF
| the unnecessary diseases
The prevention of typhoid fever must rest very
intimately on knowledge of its cause or, at least
| on an acquaintance with the known laws in accord
| ance with which that cause operates The essen
tial cause of the disease is generally believed to
| be minute organic germ which is given off by
| the sick, and may be transmitted to the well in
| several ways.
The poisonous germ is not thrown off through
the breath, or in the exhalations from the skin as
is the case in some other infectious diseases; but
in this disease it is contained in the discharge
| from the bowels and possibly also in that from
| the kidneys. Hence the proper disposal of the
ercretG is a matter Of the first and highest i'm
| portdnce
Another conclusion, which is generally accepted
is that the disease germ, as it leaves the body is
not yet in condition to be dangerous but that in
a short time, through Preventative process it
acquires dangerous character; therefore, the
need Of the disposal Of all discharges from the
/ patient aeithout delay
| Still another thing which experience seems to
teach, and which the public should bear in mind,
| is that this fever-germ may be not only developed
| but multiplied outside the human body. That the
fever patient is in way factory for the time
being, engaged in producing and throwing off a
poison dangerous to other persons, is matter of
common belief; but, of late years, there has come
settled conviction that this poison, or disease
germ, as we now call it, may be, and very often is
| developed and multiplied to dangerous extent,
when it is once introduced into places which pre-
| sent the fayoring conditions of moisture, warmth
| and filth. Hence the vitat necessity Of care not
to plant the dangerous seed IN soil conge,tidI to
| it. Such dangerous localities about our homes
| are ill-kept privies, wateF-closets, cess-pOols
drains and earth which is saturated with uncean-
/ illness.
received into the system by breathing it in but in
undoubtedly the great malorits OF cases, the dis
eaSe-germ finds its way into the intestinal canal
| by means of the food and drink Reflection will
show, and experience teaches, thatathere are many
ways in which our food and drink may become
| contaminated with the germs. Some of the more
| frequent ways are these: The discharges are
thrown into the privy or upon the ground, whence
soil into the family we'll The:sofled clothes of the
| patient are washed, and the water carried by
loose and leaky drain which runs too near the
| well. Some kinds of food and drink are very alb
sorptive of diseaselgerms and being kept too near
the patient, become contaminated through the air
1 Many cases are known where mllkmen, with fe-
yer at their own homes, have caused serious out
breaks of the disease among their customers, by
keeping the milk before it. was distributed too
1 near the sick, by dilutng it with contaminated
water, or even by rinsing the cans with the inn
1 pure water.
| PREVENTION.
What has already been said about the develop
ment of the typhoid fever germ and the ways it is
taken into the system, pretty plainly indicates the
| line Of our endeayor in preventing it.
1t is to be borne In mind:
lst That filth, if it is not the direct cause, is
at least the indus (nestl in which the cause or
| germ, may be developed.
i I'd. That the poison is principally given off
from the bowels.
Sd That it is usually received into the system
in the food and drink.
L. At all times, as well in the absence as during
the presence OF typhoid fever, let us try to keep
clean as possible. OF all forms of filth none 9TH
ers are so dangerous to our homes as that of the
"hoe-in- the,ground privy, and that in and about
Grated nor the latter either, in its usual forms.
Filth in its sanitary Specification includes
BILE and more respectable kinds which are too of-
ten ignored. The impapable, but not inodorous
KIND IN the air of unventilated bedrooms is dis
gushing and dangerous; the sewer-air, which
leaks from faulty water-cosets or defective drain
pipes in the homes of the wealthy, consigns many
to the tomb; the carnations from rotting chips or
sawdust the exhalatons from decaying vegeta-
bles IN the cellar-all these may dangerously pol
lutte the air, and should be avoided
2. All discharges from the fever patient should
be received in a vessel containing enough of Dis
lntectant No. Corrosive Sublimate solution), No.
| Chloride of lime solution), or No Q (copperas
solution), to cover them. They should be Kept
thus fifteen or twenty minutes, and then buried in
| the earth where they cannot by any possibility
fnd their way into wells. springs or brooks. They
should neUer be Goiged to nai7gLe aUith afy kind
| Of nth, in q priUy or elsewhere.
The clothing, both of bed and patient, should be
disnfected by dropping it into a tub containing
several gallons of Disinfectant No. (suphate OF
zinc solution, or No. 5, and afterwards boiled in
this solution After death or recovery, disinfect
the room with Dsinfectant No. Sulphur fumiga-
tom.
3. As far as concerns the personal hygiene of
nurses and attendants, it may be said that if the
foregoing preventive measures are carefully car
ried out there is hardly possibility of their tax
ing the disease; in fact, under such conditions,
cases in which the attendants have taken the dis
ease from the patient almost if not quite I'M
known. Typhoid fever "goes through families
because all have been exposed to the disease-pro-
ducing cause; or the orst cases contaminate the
water supply, or "seed down. the privy vault and
the house surroundings with the disease germs.
Nurses and others in the family should eat MOTH
ing in the room where the PATIENTS, nor anything
which has been there. The food for the attend
ants and family should be prepared and kept as
far from the sick room as possible. Thorough
boiling will kill all disease germs; So while the
fever is in the house, it is safer to boil all water
and milk just before it is used.