The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-07-14
sickness At CLEMSON.
OF STATE BOARD OF
HEALTH INVESTIGATES.

$Neglected-They Recommend Certain
Alterstic MS ana Chsngcs-Thlnk Vacs-
Non Should be Had in Summer and Not
Winter.
The committee of the State Board OF
aalth made their report 10 Governor
hlerbe as to the causes Of the sickness
Clemson College, which is publish,
herewith:
D His Exceller cy, Governor Ellerbe.
Dear Governor: Your committee
hs the honor to report that in obedi
hce to your Exceliency'S instructions
e viaited Clemson Agricultural Col
lie and investigated the cause and
6aracter Of the prevailing sickness ct
at point and nothing remains but IN
nder to you officially the results OF
lr examination.
Upon our arrival at Clemson on
lesday, the 9th of June, we were
aited upon by President Craighead
nd the faculty, who expressed much
ratification at our arrival and an earn
t desire to give us all possible AID IN
living the serious problem by which
ley were confronted and which had
kcited painful apprehension through
1t the State. 1t may not be inele.
Int to refer to the extremely pictur-
que appearance of Clemson College,
downing the gracefully undulstipg
lis and standing an enduring monu-
ant to It's founder, with silent and
Bresistable eloquence in behalf of gen
atoms to come, who, sheltered IN It's
inefficient arms, shall learn lie lessons
stalwart, enlightened citizenship
BON which our government must rely
u peaceful, prosperous and happy
prpetuity.
In advance of making one tour OF
nitary inspection, we visited the hos
tai, In which there we're a few pa
ents, probably a dozen, some conva'
ICING and others quite i'll. We re-
eetted the absence of DR.. Redfern,
imself sick, probably with the pre-.
Riling fever, and we found DR.. Har-
In In cheerful and efficient discharge
the duties of resident physician.
Te were informed that approximate
between seventy and eighty cases
] sickness had occurred among the
udents within a few weeks, necesSi.
ting the disbanding of tho college.
I that number of fever cases not
ore than thirteen were of prolonged
1ration and that several had died.
be fever was thought to be ''malarialo
1t there were two cases in hospital
b~ncerning which there was some
pubt but might be typhoid fever.
As to the causes of this fever
Rrious theories were entertained.
ne theory was that the students had
hthed in the river near whsre the
average emptied. Another theory
as that q number of students had
orked in the low swamp lands, rich
alluvial deposits, and had inhaled
be noxious exhslations from stag
ant water, the outflow of which had
zen recently checked by a dam. A
bird theory was that a large percent
he of the students had come from
ieir homes in malarial sections of the
late and that the latent material in
EN- had developed by a higher lati-
kde, by an excessive amount OF work
hd the. severe military discipline of
be Institution. That these causes had
radually devitaliz2d the students,
enderfng them easy prey to sickness.
3he disproof of the first theory was
bat some of the sick students dis
&aimed ever having been in the river.
he second theory could not hold be-
kuse the sickness was not entirely
bnined to the students who had
orked ia the swamp land, and in re-
y to the third theory it may be said
bat the sick students represented all
ctions of the State.
In the presence Of so many con
citing opinions entertained by gen.
emen of intelligence. discrimination
nd observation. your committee pro-
beded to make a systematic and Wig
fous examination of every place and
Ferything which might possibly sug.
pat q clue to the solution of the prob
m in question. Your Excellency
bill recall the physical appearance Of
Henson, its hills and valleys, and
be relative distances and positions Of
be various buildings. Taking the
Pllege building as a centre, it will be
bserved that the watershed OF the hill
pon which it stands causes a part of
be storm to flow north to the river,
rest to the barracks and south and
ast through a gradually developed
alley, round and about the dairy
nd into the ravine which is the natu-
hl vent OF most of the water OF aoja.
ent hills upon the east, north and
buthern aides. On the northern edge
the ravine, in the valley, is located
be dairy, building probably fifty
pct square. The site upon which it
lands had been a small pond which
ad been filed in with debris Of varia-
lie character, organic and inorganic,
nd had been practically draiued. Be-
Veen the dairy and the abrupt hills
erth there is a small space in which
NO springs rise. The larger spring
kas said to become muddy after a rain.
ad accordingly it had been enclosed
18th brick on three sides. The small,
i spring beside the door of the dairy
included in a casing Of %impervious
Material about two feet in length by
ne foot in width. This spring some.
mes Is milky and used exclusively in
Earing the products of the dairy. The
ay of our arrival it rained heavily,
Ind the next morning we traced the
orm water from the adjacent hills
yer and around the imperiectly con
kructed storm ditch, beside the spring
nd upon the limited area occupied BY