The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-08-29
NEWARK'S TYPHOID.
Due to the Passaic aud Not to Well
Water.

NEWARK, Aug. 20, 1S9l.-The objections
made by Dr. Titus. the Health Officer of
Newark, to the premature publication of
the list Of persons afflicted with typhoid
fever seems to be well founded. DR..
Titus a few days ago made a great fuss
because the reporters In some way found
access to the list before IL had been pre-
sented TO the health Board He said it
was improper to publish such a docu-
menf, or extracts from it, until 1t became
an official record.
Investigations made In the matter war
rant the suspicion that there was graver
reason for Withholding the facts, viewing
the matter from an official outlook, even
1t the authorities would not prefer to
suppress the matter altogether. The
com plete list shows that in the hospitals
and houses of Newark there are no less
than one hundred and thirty-oue patients
suffering from typhoid fever in its vari-
Gus stages.
But the matter wears a still more seri-
ous phase when the cause OF the disease
is Inquired into. The Health Board and
fits officers have all along insisted tn at
the epidemic was due to the fact that in
certain quarters OF Newark the reslden Is
refused to use Possaic water aud OBJ
tained their supply from wells. This
statement is now shown to be untrue.
DIR. Hunt of the State Board OF Healt b, ,
yesterday visited the city tor the purpose
Of making an official Investigation. HE
aud DR.. Titus went over the whole
ground.
1t was found that since the epidemic set
in. there had been one hundred,and sixty
two cases .Of these Que hundred and
twenty-seven had used PaSsaic water for
drinking, twenty-eight well water, five
both kinds. in one instance the kind OF
..A
tieut had come from Brooklyn while sick.
The Health Officers claim, however.
that the Investigation merely proves that
either kind of water will produce typhoid
fever. but it merely proves that when
water is impure. the source from which
it is obtained Is a matter OF no coEse-
quence.
WELL WATER TO BE ANALYzED.
DIR. Hunt. after making the examina-
ton, tsndered his services to DIR. Titus for
an analysis of water In wells supposed to
be poisonous. This he did, ne said, by
order of the State Board OF Health which
body will bear the cost of these analyses,
because Newark's Board of Health has no
money to spend for the purpose and be-
cause Ii is wise and necessary TO make
them. He said that although It might be
safer In crowded cities 10 close every well
he believed it right 10 examine the water
before doing So He recommended that
the river, should be boiled before being
used.
Some of the cases of typhoid reported,
ne added, do not come necessarily from
impure water. TAINTED meat. foul
gases and ice from polluted
ponds may contain the germs OF that
disease. Then, again, fnmi CATION is not
practicised as it should be in the sick
chamber. and the germs find their way
into clothes and food in the house, and In
that way the malady spreads,
There were yesterday in Newark's
four hospitals forty-1ve typhoid patients.
an increase of two from the previous day.
No more than eight or ten of these are in
a dangerous condition. Most of the ply
siclsns In the city are attending to Pr
tients at their homes. Drs. ID. J. and 4.
p. Edwards. of No. 81 South Orange
avenue, have twelve patients. and several
others have nearly as many. DIR. ID. j.
Edwards thinks that If the aqueduct
water is causing the epedenic the streets
should not be sprfnkled with il any more.
This matter should be acted upon at the
next meeting of the Board of Health.