The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1889-12-29
Interesting Particulars
of the Alleged Bergen
Epidemic.
HOW 7IE PATIENTS GOT THE DISEASE.
All the Cases Investigated as to
Their Circumstances and
Probable Causes.
WHAT THE PHYSICIANS SAY.

The unusually marked prevalence Of
| typhoid fever in Jersey City at this par
ticular season has given rise to much
speculation as to the specific causes that
| have superinduced the dreaded disease in
| our midst. While the physicians are
inclined to pooh-pooh the idea that its
| prevalence is perceptibly greater than
| usual for the period corresponding with
| that of other years it is well-known FACT
that the County Board of Health is maxi
| ing extra efforts to ascertain the causes
thereof, and talks of holding a special
meeting this week for the specific pur
| pose of broadly discussing the subject
and taking steps against the spread of the
| the infection.
| AS the matter is one of considerable
/ interest to every one the SUNDAY MORN
ING NEWS yesterday evening sent out its
| reporters to interview all the physicians
| in Lower Jersey City, South Bergen and
| Greenvllle who attended patients whose
| deaths are recorded as resulting from
| typhoid fever, to find out if possible
1 whether its prevalence was due to the
sewers, bad sanitation, the water supply,
| or wholly to atmospheric causes. The
results are given below:
| AN UNsANITARY PRIVATE SCHOOL.
DIR. McGill was asked his opinion of the
| causes that brought about the two cases
he attended, the deaths of which We're
recorded among the Board of Health
| statistics. The first one, Mary Alice
| Bartherner, aged thirteen years, died at
| No. 1877 Ocean avenue on December 13.
| "My impression = said the Doctor, sis
| that the prevalence of typhoid fever is
/ inl " nn Voc.
| though, of course, bad sanitary arrange
| ments of the houses have much to do
| with it.
| ''Now, in the case on Ocean avenue, the
| patient lived in fine, large residence,
! the sanitary arrangements of which were
| perfect. My impression at the time was
| that the patient became infected through
| the bad sanitation OF a private school on
| Ocean avenue. l heard that there was
another case among the pupils. The
matter, hear, was reported to the Health
| Board.
.iThe house in which Patrick f. Null
| hearn, of No 237 Varick street, died on
December 20 was big frame tenement.
| The sanitary arrangements were, as usual
| in all tenements, very bad indeed"
! NEGLECT AND sUNKEN LOTS.
| Dr. Petrie, in reference to the death of
| Rose A. Carey. aged fourteen years, who
| died of typhoid fever December %, at
| No. 121 Bright street, said
Greatly this patient died from lack of
| proper attention. | first called to see her
| on the Sth inst found her suffering of
| a species of malarial fever with symp-
| toms of typhoid. The next day she was
mnch better. | was not sent for again
| till the 10Th, and found her sitting up,
| but with every evidence Of an attack of
| typhoid fever. I Immediately ordered her
| to bed, to which she made a vigorous pro-
test, and it is doubtful if my instruction
| were thoroughly carried out.
GAS to my opinion concerning the
! causes that brought on typhoid in this
| case am satisfied that the surroundings
mad much to do with it, l cannot say
that the sanitary arrangements were i'm
| perfect. In the rear of the house is q
| number of sunken lots filed with swamp
water-very conducive indeed to typho-
| malaria.
| ITS THE STREETS.
| "I was not the attending physician in
| the case of Clara NJ. Foster, age 49, who
| died at No. Aston Place on December IS, %
| said DIR, A. A. Lutkins 81 was merely
consulted by an uncle of the deceased
| from Utica. New York. The sanitary
| arrangements of the house in which the
patient died were perfect.
1.-The prevalence of typhoid fever in
Jersey City is due almost exclusively to
the filthy condition of the streets and
sewers, " continued the Doctor, with en-
! phasis. My ash and garbage barrels
| actually stand outside upon the streets
! waiting for the collectors till Pm obliged
to disinfect them and then roll them in
4 again.
| Tour drinking water has nothing to do
| with the matter, although would advise
! the boiling of all lake and river water
| used for drinking and domestic pur-
| poses.
DIR. w. c. Lutkins inclines to the germ
| theory. He says there are typhoid germs
~ 10 H.
more likely to suffer thereby than any of
| the adjoining cities or surrounding locali-
| ties
Indeed, . he said, ''the majority of cases
! of typhoid that have come under my OBJ
| servation are patients who have just re-
| turned from visits elsewhere.
'There is nothing wrong with our water
| supply. Jersey City is one OF the filthiest
| cities know of; but its death-rate is COM
paratively low. If the prevalence of
| typhoid fever was due to bad sanitation
| we would End many more cases than are
| at present reported.
| In reference to the death of Caroline
| Klemine, age eleven, who died of typhoid
| on December 5, at No. 1888 First street,
| DIR. Lutkins said the sanitary arrange
| ments of the house were good.
| On the 18th of December, Mary Louise
Mack, of No. 10l Brig hit street, died of the
fever On the 9th of December, John j.
! Hyatt, a young man of 20 years, died at
| No. 305 Pavonia avenue. Dr. Kyle of
! No. 316 Payonia avenue, attended both
these cases.
FILTHY SURROUNDINGS.
''You can put me down as saying"
said DIR. Kyle last night, that these
deaths were entirely due to filthy sur
ronndings. Mrs. Mack contracted the
disease from her 11-year-oId daughter
| The house, No. 101 Bright street, is large
tenement, in which eight families live.
There is a large stable in the rear and
several sunken lots. The streets outside
are in a terribly filthy condition.
'The case of young Hyatt l don'tsknow
much about. He died at the house of
some friends of his, No. 305 Pavonia ave
| nue.. after an illness of only two or three
| days. Where he lived before ne was
brought there can't say positively, but
/ understand 1t was some cheap boarding
| house.
AND THE WATER.
"Now, young man, ] want to say right
here that in my opinion the spread of
typhoid fever is entirely due to filth and
| impure drinking water, principally the
| latter. / make it a point to ask all my
patients whether they drank much water
| and I have invariably found that they
| were great consumers of water. | would
not drink the water that the people of
Jersey City are drinking for any amount
OF money. ! have had a private well
/ l...fI q. NV .tV