The times., 1897-08-29
TYPHOID POSSIBILITIES.
To the Editor of The Times:

To the Editor of The Times:
We have typhoid fever in this country.
just as IL other countries, varied somew what
by climatic influences. The majority of
cases are typical, though occasionally we
see typical cases as outlined in our books,
having the rose-colored petectia ON the
abdomen, the other symptoms varying
according to the severity OF the attack.
VIII make the following statement in
order to make m yself more plain and thor
oughly understood.
1. Typhoid fever is a self-Iimlted In
fectiOus disease
z. The Infection must be taken into the
| alimentary tract.
8. The general source of infection. In
the country, is from the water supply;
in cities, milk and water, and sometimes
| other food stuffs.
f. 1 believe house flies are capable
OF carrying the infection anywhere. from
house to house, OF from neighborhood TO
| neighborhood.
O. Typhoid fever does not occur spon-
taneously, the specific germ of typhoid
Ctacillus os Eberth) must enter the body,
find a suitable soil in Pyer's patches, ana
there colonlze.
g. No amount Of filth viii cause typhoid
fever alone. In filth the seed finds suit
| able soil, and If there is sufficient heat
and moisture, the poison will be rapidly
! developed.
Z. We can have typhoid fever without
the rose-cUlored spots, about whlchso much
| Is said and so little is seen, even In the
Northern States,
6. Typhoid fever in Texas varies little
| from that of Missouri and Illinois ana In
| diana.
$. Post nortems in Texas on cases dT.
Ing With typhoid is evidence sufficient to
| establshits existence as a fact The seu;e
| disease is reported in Mississippi and
Louisiana The same results are obtained
in those States.
There is no use for me TO go over the
etiology, pathology, morbid anatomy, syraU-
| tomatolcgy, diagnosis and treatment. Nv
o. Jet is 10 prove that typhoid exists here;
that We have epideuhcs oft the same as IN
/ the other countries.
In order to do this wish TO give reoorts
of few epidemics occurring in the North.
/ could report any number of epidenics
| occurring in various portions Of the United
States, but think the following sufriciena
TO Convince the most skepticaI that typhoid
fever is an infectious disease: that it nav
become epidemic; that { is common IN the
| United States:
| Epidemic at Windsor, Vt.-The first case
OF typhoid fever appeared on March 15,
| 1896. On March "a and %. quite a
number We're attacked by the same dis
| ease The cause was easily traced IN
the water supply. Windsor is a town Of
| about 300 people. ft is supplied bv suriDes
about TWO miles above the town, which
| floW together, forming d small stream.
] Ihls flows into reservoir, thence through
iron pipes to the homes OF Windsor Now,
/ about forty yards above the source OF
the stream, farmhouse IS situated, where
it was aseertained person had, the pre-
| y'ous January suffered from typhoid fever.
| The discharges were thrOwn into the vault,
J the wash water was thrown out on the
snow. During the very warm weather
which followed the first or March, the
snow melted, and all this accumuIa ton
| found its way into the brook and thence
into the reservoir and their homes. This
/ explanation was unanimously. indOrsed
| by the State board, who made an official
visit TO the place soon after the outbreak
4 About $50 cases occurred in 6S families.
| This was 10 per cent OF the population.
| There Were seventeen deaths; six had in
testinal hemorrhage.
Epidemic at Montelair, y. IAN cpl
| deInic Of nineteen eases occurred in this
| town, following a case that had developed
/ in travelling man stopping at a hotel.
Also well was discovered in poor sani-
tary Condition, the water being polluted
with the typhoid germ. This epidemic
| ceased when the proper sanitary measures
Were accomplished This was the second
| epidemic for MOntclair this year, both
being traced TO sources of infection by the
authorities The first attack occurred
| early in the spring, the next in July, 1894.
Epidemic at Winifred, ". Va.-Abous
February l, 1884, typhoid fever broke out,
| the infection coming fIom the water sup
/ ply, which was con illuminated by other
cases Of typhoid. Eighty-one cases occur
| red, with three deaths. Constipation oc-
CURED in fifty-one cases In eStinaI hem
| orrhage occurred IN two cassS.
| Epidemic a Z Stamford, Gem, April 15,
| 1S95-In all 400 cases are recorded. This
| epidemic was traced 10 q contaminated
| milk supply This epidemic deserves our
closest investigation being very instructive.
The last epidemic that l Will men
ton occurred at ayhead, n J., in July,
| 1895. Bayhead is small town sit
| uated midway between New York and
| Philadelphia, and Is made up principally
| of summer residents The town was in
| splendid sanitary coalition, when late
in June young man brought to the place
u herd of eight or ten COW and began a
dairy business. He was not feeling
we'll when he arrived, though he con-
tinued 10 go about his work TO milk the
cows, etc, for about two weeks, at the
end OF which time he took his bed and
passed through several weeks Of typhoid
fever. Many of the people Of Bayhead
using the milk supplied by this dairyman
contracted typhoid fever, in all, amount
ing to fifteen. When examined by the
authorities the milk was found To contain
the typhoid germ
Washington is now supplied with the
germ IN this way All of the outbreaks
of the stated places was due TO the lack
of proper milk inspection. They can
occur and will occur TO US il our milk
and water are rot more thoroughly in,
spected. C. j. WEINHEIMER-
King Quadruplex.
King oscar II, Of Sweden and Norway, 4: