St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-12-26
CAUSES OF TYPHOID FEVER.
DIR. Cyrus EdsOn's Views Before
the Academy OF Medicine.

tnc hcducIfy O1 N1cuiCihC.
New York Times.
Typhoid fever was the subject dis
cussed last evening when the Section of
Public Health met at the Academy of
Music in West Thirty-first street. DR..
Cyrus Edison read the paper of the
evening.
Nothing is so discreditable in civili-
zation," said he, las typhoid. 1t is
found everywhere, yet it is easily pre-
ventible. After investigating many
cases, l am convinced that typhoid
fever is nearly always due to polluted
water, milk, ice or meat. The typhoid
germ gets into the system by entering
the body through the mouth. Wells
are great source of danger. There is
scarcely a safe one in the country, for
nearly everywhere you will find the
we'll close neighbor of source Of
disease"
DR.. Edison cited the results of polu-
ton of water in epidemics in North
Carolina. at Plymouth, Penn, where
nearly 1.300 people were poisoned by
germs coming from persons living on
the banks of small mountain stream,
and at New Jersey seaside resorts. He
bad just learned from DR.. Fordyce
Barker of case at a popular resort in
this state where twenty-five persons
had been taken sick, pretty surely
because they used ice cut
on lake near by. In another instance
the disease was caused by milkman
washing his cans at an infected well.
''The typhoid poison" he said, ''must
enter the stomach. We acknowledge
that atmospheric contagion is impossi-
bic by admitting typhoid patients in our
hospitals. believe that in typhoid, as
in cholera, there may be digital con-
tagion. If one is careless the germs
may be carried on the hands, and thus
left ON door knobs. bannisters, etc.
During the fall DR.. Edison has investi-
gated LAG cases of typhoid in the
central part of the city. OF the pa
tients, ~ were out of the city during
the preceding thirty days. and of these
% had been in places known to be
infected. About rs Of the people
had not been out of New York,
as far as could be learned. Six cases
occurred in a Twenty-Sec0nd street
tenement, where the water supply was
so arranged that little of the contents
of the vaults was sometimes pumped
into the water pipes. In West Twen-
ty-seventh street house the first case
was imported from the country, but five
OlllGTS lOllOWcu III Ill Tic HOuSe- lHcu,
too, there were faults in the water sup
ply. -Four boys had been attacked
who had been in the habit Of bathing in
the rivers near the mouth of sewers.
Over fifty other cases must be traced to
recognized causes-milk, ice or digital
infection. In September, October and
November of 1888 there we're 557 cases
and 1872 deaths. In the same months of
1887 there were 435 cases and los deaths.
Safety will come from care in using ice,
in using only boiled milk, and in wash
ing the hands carefully before eating.
The health department, DR.. Edison said,
is working hard. In every typhoid case
visited instructions are given, and
agents are employed to look after MIS-
injecting.
In the discussion which followed most
of the speakers seemed to agree with
the main points raised by DR.. Edsou.
DR.. John &. Peters said that at present
there was little danger from the Croton
supply, but that Increased danger might
lie looked for as population in the Gro
ton district increased. The aqueduct
commissioners had promised him to
appeal to the state board of health to
do something to prevent pollution of the
water.