The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-12-27
THAT TYPHOID SCARE,
New York Newspaper
Reports Grossly
Exaggerated.
CONTINUED FEVER CHIEFLY,
Some Have Cases, Of Course. and
Some Have Fatal ones, but not
Many More Than Usual.
IS THE WATER TO BLAME ?

The Board of Health in discussing the
prevalence of typhoid fever in this city
at it's recent meeting threw out the i'm
preston that the dread disease was likely
to become epidemic
The physicians of the Bergen section, in
which it was asserted the disease pre-
vailed to the greater extent, declare that
there is no more typhoid fever in the city
than usually prevails at this time of the
year,
A well known physician said this morn
ing that he did not believe there was or
had been in this city this year any alarm
ing amount of typoid fever.
Many of the cases which have been re-
ported lately, he said, have been either
continued fever or, in one two cases, Judg-
ing from what he had heard of the symp-
toms, Inflammation of the bowels.
A CONSERVATIVE REVIEW.
DR.. w. P. Walton does. not seem in
alarm over the prevalence of typhoid
fever in Jersey City.
The first question I put to him this
morning was:-''To what extent is the
disease prevalent in the Bergen section2
.sWhat there is is not confined to any
OuS ScCblOuy 1CPAlCN pllO 0ONbpAs
sHow many cases do you estimate at
present exist in the Bergen section?
s'Oh, can't say. have seen but two
cases there in the past three weeks: In
deed have seen but very few cases In my
own practice since [ returned from Eu-
rope in July. and they were of an unusu-
ally mild form. 1t is not an epidemic.
"What brought about the general idea
that typhoid fever was more than usually
PREVALENT
II did not know that it was a general
idea, beyond that aroused by several un-
truthful sensational stories.
II would not estimate that there were
more than forty or fifty genuine cases in
the city. Now, here are several monthly
mortality reports. They are as accurate
as any statistics we can get hold of.
II have not complete set. however.
Here is one that gives nineteen deaths
from typhoid fever in Jersey City
twenty one in the county, for the month
November of the same year
gives il deaths in the city and lp
in the county; in August, 1889, we
, had i0s deaths from this disease, II II
the whole county; in October, 1882
we had 10 deaths in the city
16 in the county-a little increase, but not
much The report for November last is
not in my possession, but would estimate
that there were about seventeen deaths
from typhold FEVER. eStlmate one deatn
in every ten cases"
According to that, then, we must have
had 10 cases?"
''Well, there are very mild cases that
would hardly be set down as typhoid.
Some who do not even go to bed.
THAT is not such a great number for
our large population. And ] don't know
that we are any worse Off IN this respect
than the majority of cities
'sThere is always more or less of typ
hold fever at this season of the year, and
it is not likely to abate until the warm
season sets in"
''To what do you attribute the prev
alence of the disease in Jersey City,
Doctor?"
s'That is a question I would not like to
answer off hand.
'sIr is deep scientific question and re-
auires much thoughtful consideration.
1t is true that it is more prevalent than
six or seven years ago."
DIR. PYLE'S VIEWS.
DR.. A. w. Pyle:-My brother and have
attended about forty cases of fever during
the last eight weeks. The fever was of
the continued type, and in a very few in
stances was it really naked typhoid.
81 have seen no severe cases; they were
mild and the patients have recovered eX-
cept one due to perforation. The trouble
is not different from what we have almost
every year, except there is little more
of it.
1t is very much like the year 81. I can
not give any definite cause. 1t has affected
alike those who drink Passaic River water
and those who drink well water. those
who have been in the country and those
who have remained in the city.
The prevalence of influenza, too, is not
new or strange. We have no extraordin-
ary number of cases, except that it is
slightly more severe than usual, and this
attribute to the prolonged season of
damp weather.
DR.. Forman-I have very few cases.
There are a good many more talked about
than there are.
DR.. w. Wilkinson-I am attending six
cases of continued fever. 1t is very like
typhoid in its symptoms. There are un-
doubtedly an unusual number OF cases,
but not near so many as has been re-
ported. My father and brother L know
have several cases each.
AT THE HOSPITAL.
Warden Osborn, of the City Hospital,
said there are four cases of typhoid fever
at the hospital. The usual number.
We have had from four to ten cases
every month since last May and have not
lost patient from this cause. The four
patients are doing well.