Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-14
Some Startling Facts Laid Before
the District Committee.
PREVALENCE OF TYPHOID FEVER
Doctors Denounce Local Pumps
and Sewerage System.
THE COMMITTEE PRES ENT

the unsanitary conditions of this city re-
sulting from defective drainage and INSULT
cient water supply. A number of physi-
clans, comprising a committee from the
Medical Society of the District of Columbia,
were the staters. and the members of the
District committee were interested listen
ers. The great danger from typhoid fever,
malarial fever and diarrhoeal diseases, aris-
ing from the fact that Washington has not
enough sewers, was clearly shown.
1t was most valuable and interesting
lecture" said Chairman Heard at the close
of the meeting, land 1 only wish it could
be delivered to the full House of Repre-
sentatives"
Dr. Samuel c. Busey, chairman Of the
committee of the Medical Society. was the
first speaker. He said that the Medical So
ciety recently commenced an investigation
TO disprove the assertion often made
that there Is an excessive rate of mortality
from typhoid fever in the city of Washing
ton. Instead of disproving that fact the
Medical Society has demonstrated that
typhoid fever is more prevalent and NOR
tailty therefrom greater than was at first
stated Or. Busey said that all diseases are
decreasing in Washington except typhoid
fever, and the rate of that disease is stead
lily growing up. Typhoid fever prevails to
a greater extent in portions of the city
where pumps and wells more prevalent.
There have been numbers of cases called
typho-malaria fever, but experience has
proven that they are in reality cases of
typhoid fever.
water. The fact that htye have not found
have not been found in Potomac river
water, but that other germs have been
found both in Potomac water and well
water. The fact that they have not found
typhoid germs in Potomac water is no
surety, however. that they will not find them.
The Potomac river Grains an enormous
territory covered by a large number of vii
10 and hahf tod
If at any time an epidemic of typhoid
fever should occur in any one of these
villages the water which the citizens of
Washington drink daily will become pol
lCted, and the germ of typhoid fever i'm
planted in the system of the consumer
of water. He said that typhoid germs are
communicated in milk, as well as in water.
One case of fever on a dairy farm will
spread the fever emong a large number of
consumers of milk in this city Every
epidemic of typhoid fever occurring for the
past twenty-five years has been found to
be directly due to the pollution of the water
or milk supply.
Rapid Distribution.
Since 1881 there have probably been 10000
cases of typhoid fevec in this city. These
cases have occurred in portions of the city
where defective drainage and the use of
well water nave contributed favorable
conditions for typhoid fever, and the only
reason why an epidemic does not now pre-
vail is because the people have had the
disease once and can't have 1t a second
time.
However surprising it may be to YOU"
said Or. Busey. "it is fact that flies can
convey the germs of typhoid fever from the
source of contamination to the food that
you eat. No matter how far away the source
may be you are not exempt from the dam
ger in this respect. There are 1900 open
privies in the District of Columbia and YOU
can imagine how the poison of typhoid is
distributed into the soil and in other ways
in this manner In one square in South
Washington there are 100 privies. 100 in
another and large numbers scattered over
adjacent blocks
The diminution of typhoid mortality be-
gins with the Improvement of the water
supply and sewerage. tuberculosis or con-
sumption is another fatal and prevalent
disease. Today 1t is a scourge in the world
ana IL Is demonstrated that improved sew
erage lessons the mortality from consump-
ton. In many parts of the District wells
are necessity because there is no other
water, and privy boxes a necessity because
there is no sewerage. To increase the water
supply without giving sewer facilities is NOT
desirable, because that would only wash The
impurities into the soil and pollute the soil
1t is desired to keep the soil pure that is
the main thing.
All Of these open privies in the District
are constantly pouring their impurities into
the soil, whence they find their wav into
tEe drinking water of the people There
are great number of these privies that
could be connected with sewers If If were
required of them.
The Reason Why.
Then why isn't 1t done?' asked Chair
man Heard.
Or. Busey stated that in a great manv
cases the owners of the property had made
excuse that they We're too poor to make
the sewer connections, and through the
lenlency OF the health officer were not re-
CURED TO do 1t. Diarrhoeal diseases are due
i'll the case of adults to impure water sun
ply and in infants to hot weather and i'm
proper food. In those sections of the city
Where there are the most pumps and more
open privies there prevails the most cases
of iiarrhoeal diseases, typhoid fever and
consumption. N
The improvement of the water supplv Of
Washington, said DIR. Busey, can be ac
compHshed in two ways. First, by sedi-
mentation, for 1t is proved that ali bacIlli
will settle to the bottom and. second h,,
filtration. These two methods will eradi-
cate disease germs. Pumps and wells in
the city are unfit to furnish drinking water
They may be found pure this morning ana
this afternoon be contaminated with The
germ of typhoid fever. They are contami
mated from the soil, and the soil of Wash
ington is polluted.
Every case of typhoid fever which has
come ID the Children's Hospital in the mast
five years" said DIR. Busey. impressiveIv
can be traced directly to a pump in the
HelSHDornOOO OF the child'S home" DIR
Busey called special attention to the fact
that the only way to be free from danger
OF these diseases is to have pure water and
good drainage
At this point, Mr.. Bell not a physician
but a listener at the hearing said he d.
sired to call attention to one fact and that
Is that one of the biggest sewers Of the CITY
emptes into the river in the neighborhcod
OF the free bathing beach and contaminates
the water there. 1t is well known he. said
that boys, when in swimming swallow a
greater or less quantity of water and he
wanted to know if they could not pei
typhoid fever in this way. Dr. Busev re-
piled that If they swallowed water i'm which
typhoid germs existed they would certainly
get the fever
The Deadly Pump.
Or. Magruder, a member of the committee
from the Medical Society. then addressed
the committee. He displayed upon the walls
number of maps of the city and proceeded
to give the committee an object lesson in
the location of cases of typhoid fever and
me relation of them to the pumps, sewera 90
facilities and open prlvies. He said he
thought some cases of diarrhoea should he
put down typhoid
For this and other reasons the death "a re
IN Washington should be n higher figure
tran is sometimes given. DR. Magrlder
read the tables recently published i'm The
Star upon this subject. By means of his
maps and diagrams he would show the COM
mittee section of the city where certain
number of deaths from typhoid fever ma
larial fever and darrhoeal diseases had oc-