The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-06-13
TYPHOID FEVER.
A Report of the Board of Health in Re-
gard to Cases in Portland.

The local board of health have made
the following supplemental report as to
typhoid fever in Portland:
There were reported to the Board dur
ing the year 1898, 100 cases of typhoid
fever-widely scattered in location, cases
being reported from Sc different streets;
in regard to time the cases occurred, APP
proximately, as follows, to wit:
January, cases. July, cases.
February, 8 cases August Is cases.
March, 5 cases Septembe Der 90 cases.
April case October 90 cases.
May, cases. November, q cases
June cases. December, A cases.
The average age of 104 persons. whose
age was given, was % 1-3 years, the
youngest being 1 12 and the Oldest 60
years. The ages were as follows:
1 to 10, IL cases. 80 to 40, IL cases.
10 to 20, SO cases. 40 to so, 6 cases.
20 to 80 SO cases. so to 60 Z cases
including two returned as 60.
By some oversight on the part of the
Board blanks for the return of statistics
Of the cases were not sent out until the
close of the year, and thus the burden
upon the physicians was somewhat in
creased, the answers were not as full nor
returned as promptly as in some former
years; 81 returns, however, have been re-
ceiyed, answering the questions with more
or less fullness, from which we have been
Die to derive the following facts, to wit:
The average duration of 81 cases was
" 40 days, the shortest being IL days,
with recovery, and the longest go days.
In the So cases in which character and
results were given, 42 were mild or
medium, and 46 severe, rs recovered and
IL died.
. In regard to the aIvine excavations.
all but II report some kind of disinfec-
tion before final disposition in closet,
privy or earth.
The sanitary condition of the houses
in which cases occurred, is reported as
good in 50 cases, fair in IA, and poor
IN %. Only are reported as drinking
other than Sebago water in the city.
In Al of the cases the patient had been
out of town for longer or shorter periods
previous to the attack. Three persons
perhaps more, had drank water from a
we'll at Peaks Island, Of which the
reporter says: 81 have but little doubt
that the disease came from drinking
from well at Peaks Island, which was
found afterwards to be very much
polluted by animal matters and other
organic materials" Eight cases were
treated at the Maine General Hospita !,
and, presumably as residence w as not
returned) came from other places Only
20 are reported as not having been out of
town, leaving 80 cases not reported in
this respect. Nine outside the hospital
cases were attacked in other places and
came here for treatment.
30 few of the questions relating to the
milk supply were answered that no de-
auctions of any weight can be drawn
therefrom, but from the few given no
suspicion even can attach to any one sup
ply as a cause. In stu lying the 70 cases
in which some opinion as to the cause
making the return, or the fact of absen-
tism from the city or exposure have been
given, but one conclusion seems deduct
BILE thereform, viz, that large proper
tion of the cases were produced by
drinking water out of the city, and if all
the facts could be known we believe
this conclusion would be more apparent
than it is on the face of the returns.
The writer has cognizance of neigh
horhood where, a few years ago, were
several severe and fatal cases of typhoid,
since which time several persons visiting
there have contracted the disease not
withstanding the fact that the inhabi-
tants drink the water from their wells
with entire impunity: We believe that
persons habitually drinking pure water
should exercise great care about drink
ing water in other places, especially in
the latter part of summer and autumn
We believe that every case of typhoid
fever comes from ingesting the germs
from a former case, and that these
germs preserve their vitality and activi-
ty for long time in earth and water.