Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1894-06-15
Hardy Typhoid Germs.
Conclusive Evidence as to the Tendency
of Cold water and winter Tempern-
lures TO Preserve them.


Conclusive Evidence as to the Tendency
of Cold water and winter Tempern-
lures to Preserve them.
In an article concerning the danger of
typhoid infection through the agency of
water supplies in cold weather, contribute
by DR.. Cyrus Edison of the health depart
ment of that city, reference is made to a
formidable epidemic of typhoid fever in a
western city, the history of which is inter-
esting and instructive for other reasons as
well as on account of the evidence which
it furnishes concerning the survival of the
germs at low temperatures.
The town of Grand Forks, y. D., hay
ing about 10000 inhabitants, is situated on
a tributary of the Red river Its sewage is
discharged into the stream and its water
supply is taken from the same stream, but
at a point well above the mouths of the
sewers. While the water supply of Grand
Forks is not contaminated by the sewage
of the same town, it is exposed to pollu-
tion by the sewage of towns above it on
the same stream. Sixty miles up the riv-
er is the town of Crookston, with popu-
lation of about 1000, which also uses the
stream as a receptacle for sewage
In November last the pollution of the
river water at Crookston was increased
and made exceptionally dangerous by the
action of the authorities of the town.
! Just before Nov. II there were several
cases of typhoid fever in Crookston, and
on that date, "as precautionary meas
ure," the sewers and several cesspools were
] fbnTonuhlU la ..fg, l..;, Iu
discharge of a large quantity of polluted
and infected water into the river About
| 80 days later approximately the period of
! typhoid incubation, plus the time required
| for the movement of the infected water
down the stream to the intake of the
| Grand Forks water supply typhoid fever
broke out in Grand Forks. Between Dec.
Il and March l there were 1869 cases in
| the town and - deaths. One ninth of
the entire population had the disease.
When the germs were discharged into the
river at CrookstOn the temperature was be-
low the freezing point and the stream was
covered with ice.
DIR. Edison points out that in cold
weather oxidation destroys germ life less
rapidly in water than in warm weather,
also that those bacteria which are believed
| to be hostile to the typhoid bacillus are
less active in cold temperatures, so that, as
a matter of actual fact and contrary to the
idea generally held, the conditions are
more favorable, and the tendency is great
er, to the prolongation of the life of the
typhoid germs III cold weather than in
warm.
The epidemic at Windsor is an illustra
tion of this point, the case of typoid fever
in farmhouse, which caused the infec
tion, having occurred in midwinter. the
eXcretar and other drainage passing out
upon the snow and ice, and, as is under
stood, did not enter the water supply OF
the village until the breakup in the spring
In the same way a disastrous epidemic
of typhoid at Plymouth, Penn, arose from
germs which We're deposited on snow anJ
had been exposed for several days to
temperature of about 207 below zero be
fore they were washed into the stream
from which the citys water supply was OBJ
tanned.
The inevitable conclusion is that low
temperatures tend to hold the typhoid ba
cillus unchanged and to preserve it 81 that
it may be carried long distances by flowing
streams. For this reason the contamina
ton OF underground currents which sup
ply springs and wells may be more danger
Gus in the cold season than in the summer
when water purifes itself more effectively
and with greater rapidtv.