The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-03-04
TBEpEADLY TYPHUs.

THE DEADLY TYPHUS.
Typhus fever, for long time stran-
ger, has again made its appearance in
the United States and its coming brings
to mind the conditions under which 1t
was formerly prevalent here and else
where. Typically considered, typhus
fever is dirt disease, that is its germs
are made active to perpetuate them
selves where cleanliness is wanting, and
where filth and dirt predominant. Years
ago when the people of the city of New
York were without sewers, when the
only drinking water used was obtained
from the street wells, into which the fill
tered teachings of soil contaminated by
the excreta of human occupancy drain.
ed; when the people considered it eco
nomical to live in crowded buildings
where the rooms were small, and the
matter of ventilation unnecessary, then
typhuS fever at times run rampant as an
epidemic. Following the war of 1912 in
most of the cities of the United States
typhus and typhoid fevers were prevail
ent in an epidemic form, and at times
epidemic.
For many years it was called ship
fever from the fact that it seemed to
originate spontaneously upon emigrant
vessels, where the passengers were
crowded into close quarters and where
personal cleanliness could not be had,
and where the surroundings were filthy.
In England it was found to originate in
prisons, and was termed jail-distemper
1t broke out in the Old Bailey in 1850,
and amongst its victims were the LORD
Mayor of London, several of the judges
and iurymen, and again in 1872 i'll the
Old Bailey it again broke out and spread
A. I al
and many deaths. In the Crimean war
it caused great havoc with the French
army.
1t existed more or less in an epidemic
form throughout the cities of England
and Scotland during the early part of
the present century, but it was found
that under strict rules of hygiene the
spread of the disease could be prevent
ed and its tendencies to become cOnta-
gious arrested, and consequently proper
health regulations stamped it out, so
that it is now comparatively stranger
to the medical profession.
Typhoid and typus fever were for
long time considered different forms OF
the same disease, and from the fact that
the germ theory as cause of disease
| was not then known or understood, and
| in the fact that in the incipient stages of
both of these kinds of feverS the symp-
| toms were the same, they were held to
have a common origin. Thus the ente rio
| condition of typhoid was considered as
a mere modification of the opposite con-
ditiOns occurring in typhus, the conse-
! quent diarrhGa and tympanitic tenden-
cies of the one while showing directly
opposite tendencies in the other, were
! deemed mere notifications of the other.
DR.. Gerland of Philadelphia as early as
1897 pointed out the differences, and so
did DR.. Elisha Bartlett in 1S47; but 1t re-
manned Dr.. Jenner of London in 1850, to
| draw the distinct line of demarCation be-
tween these two diseases in his work,
"On the identity or non-identity of ty
phoid and typhus relapsing feyers."
Both typhus and typhoid fevers are
preceded with a chill accompanied with
pain in the back and limbs, as usually
occurs in all diseases having their origin
in blood poisoning or germ causes; both
diseases are accompanied by an eruption
having characteristic differences, but in
its ultimate effects typhus fever causes
a much greater number of deaths in pro-
portion than typhoid fever.
No better description of typhus fever,
or rather no description of typhus fever
adapted to the wants of the general
reader, can be found than that written
by DR.. J. o. Affleeck of Edinburgh, from
which the following is taken:
''All ages are liable to typhus, but the
young suffer less severely than the old.
Thus Murchison found that amongst
! children under - the average death rate
was about per cent, while amongst
persons over 80, it was 46 per cent.
"A To hn =;
Gated by the exhalations given off from
the bodies of those suffering from the
fever, and those most closely in contact
with the sick, are most apt to suffer.
This is shown by the frequency with
which nurses and physicians take typhus
from patients under their care. As in
all infectious maladies, there is often OBJ
served in typhus marked proClivity to
sutlerin the case of individuals, and in
such instances very slight exposure to
the contagiOn may convey the disease.
Typhus fever is highly contagious
throughout its whole course, and even in
the early stages of its convalescence.
The cOntagiOn, however, is rendered less
active by the access of fresh air; hence
the fever rarely spreads in well aired
rooms or houses where cases of the dis
ease are under treatment. As 4 rule, one
attack of typhus cOnfers immunity from
risk of others. but numerous exceptions
are recorded"
Typhus fever has occasionally appear
ed in this city, having been brought here
by emigrants. There were a good many
cases here and in Albany during the
winter of lS4S-49, and at intervals since
then, although its nearest approach to
an epidemic form occurred in 1929, when
there was large number of cases and
many deaths.
One fact is true of this form of pesti-
lence, that by proper care on the part of
the health officers there is no need of its
taking on pestilential forms; but the
treatment by isolation and enforced
cleanliness must be vigorous and posi-
tive. There is no form of infectious dis
ease that physicians dread more than
they do typhus, and in case of its APP
pearance the highest and best intelli-
gence should be designated as that which
shall care for it on the start to stamp ii
out.-TrOy Press.