The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-11-08
TYPHOID FEVER.
How People Live In the Country-Wby Ty.
pkoid Fever Prevails.


of the condition of homes, streets, cutters,
alleys drains, such PLACES are as the people
make, or by negligence on tho purG OF tho
families and their servants and by negli-
gence and ignorance or both tho public
streets gut crs, alleys lanes and drains
become dangerous to the health OF the
people by those paid to keep such places
clean by removing all wasio before it be-
comes In a state to breed germs which
cause typhoid fever and other diseases call.
sd zymo,ic, diseases.
There Yohundreds Of homes in Kent and
Sussex counties that are in such an un-
sanitary condition as to invite these dis
eases, which have their Origination from
germ. Why do make this asser,ionY
l will tell you. First, go look at tho out
houses Of tho hotels, go and look at the
out houses provided for children at our
public schools, and stand on tho corner in
some localities, and tho odor from what
Is called garden houses will convince any
person OF the condition OF these dangerous
disease breeders. There are no wells.
walled with brick laid in cement, no well
ut all, but slight excavation, foot or so
deep this Is the privy, tho cess pool the
vault, the water closet, and the garden
house 10 call one Of these dons garden
houseis a shame, fer when l think OF Il
gardon CT speak of garden, l am re-
cat, and am reminded OF purity and health.
This much neglected and abused little
house deserve a new name, suppose we
call 1t the Relief Station, and not insult
the loved garden hereafter. am sure the,
new name OF Relief Station will bo accept
ed us gcntcel name. Now the condition of
these towns taken at u glance look fair but
u careful examination will disclose the TACT
that those in auth )rlty havo not done
tl,,t,, ipfr
disease by removing and destroying waste.
The water supply of our towns gcncrally
have heun much improved and good water
is to be had by a large majority of the pco-
pc Now l warn all who persist in using
water from old wells, not protected from
surface pollution aud during adty season
are Liable to become pollutea 3
If well is 80 feet deep then anything
thrown Into or upon the ground within 81
fect Of the well is quito likely II the sub
stances 10 liqnid or soluble, to leak into
tho well. But Us wo can seldom know the
exact character of the soil bciow the SUI
face of the ground, the above is not at all
u, safe rule to follow, Strata Of gravel
may conduct drainage many hundred feet,
and tho man who has vol, and vault
that is not water tight, within few hun
dred feet of each other, is living in CON
slant danger. The milk supply is always
supposed to be good but no examination
of it is ever made, it is taken for granted
to be all right, but may bo all wrong.
These defects exist in tho towns in Now
Castle county, hut not to tho same extent.
The soil in this county Is very different
particularly tho upper part, say from the
canal up; here wells arc dry and walled
with bricks or bogshcuds, and even barrels
are u .ed as q wall for the well Of relief
station.
The water supply.for drinking purposes Is
not as liable to become polluted by surface
drainage, or from under strata drainage,
during u dry season. In every part of our
State as well as all other States, farmers
with O few exceptions. do not try to keep
the hog ptn clean, nor tho chicken house, |
horse stable, nor the COW stable and pound
as clean as ii should be kept; they follow
IN the old worn ways of their fathers who
were old, and nearly worn out ut sixty |
years OF ago Now pardon mo Mr.. Editor,
if give your many readers IN all parts ol
cur state what was said by n. II. VIII |
liams NJ d., at II Sanitary Convention !
Lcld in jackson, Michigan, last June |
His subject was Waste and EXcrcta, and !
their rotation to typhoid fever. will give
Gniy a brief Of his talk. He said in part:
1t has been known, during all historic |
tines, that the Clcancst nations nro the |
henithieat, and that among these people |
where little or no attempt is malo to re.
move the fifth, and cXcrcta incident to
human habilation, there will thrive tho
diseases known as 2ymotic, that is cholera,
and cholera infantum. typhus, and typhoid |
fcvers, diphlheria, and long list OF filth |
diseases with oil tho misery and suffering,
and the shortening of human life incident |
thereto
On tho other hand, the people that havo
been the most clpany, have boon The
stronger, physically and morally, aud
whnti is true Of different people, is also dis,
t!nctivrly trun Of cities, villages aud even
ntighburhoods and families. The com.
lnunities and families that have Tho best
sanitary conditions, will, other things bo.
ing olunl, have tho advantage Of better I
health, higher morality and longer lives.
We are apt to think that ths question Of
sanitation is Of most Importance to the
dwcl!crs in cities; but, asa matter Of fact,
IN proportion to the population, the people
who live in Villages or on farms, arc, or
should be, just ns acuteiy Interested Us the
Others, with this d iferenca, that tho city
populations are never sure, even under tho
best Of conditions Of immunity from filth
diseases that may accidentally enter their
houses at any time either from sewer gas,
contaminated water or milk, WHILE with !
ordinary care III the village or on the farm
absolute immunity can and should be OBJ
taned from all hlth and diseases and es
pccnlly from typhoid fever.
All collections Of waste material from n
household especially when such cullcC.
tions are Ina dark place, become charged
with poisonous gases, which If hrcathel
by human.bcings dcteriorate hcolth Just in
proportion to the extent ~ which they are
brcathed. The poison may be so concen.
trated a; to prostrnte person at onct, as
In the opening up OF ctssp0Ol, OF it may
by long continued exposure to tho moro d''
!uted poison, gradually undermine the
health Of the individual, without conform.
Ing to any well marked type OF disease, II
hus buon the experience OF the wrttor moro
than once. to find tho disease uf an Office
patient not easy to name.N.! investigation
showed him to BIO suffering from poison,
poison thnt he was taking into h!s
body with every breath, while In his house
or shop IA the case might be,
These deposits OF excrcta become tho
bgcGd!ngplaces Of disease germs, when OuCo
the SEED Is planted in them, as IL may be AZ
any ime through tile mir, In speaking Of
such possible nests OF disease l nm not
taking Of something strange or unusual,
but something which my observation tells
me exists on the premises Of nino'tcntlN OF
the homastcads In this State. outside the
region OF the sanitation OF large cities,
will now quote sparingly from the speech,
l consider II the part OF wIsaum 10 assume
that every vault or cessn0ol 10 Infected
with typhoid fever, WlI tho Board of
II ealth Of Wilmington anl other towns
and places please remember the last oyln-
lon of DR.. Williams Again he says
Many tp!Iemlc5 Of typhoidfcyo have been
caused ty tho uso Of contaminated milk
and. II is my opinion, that such cases are
more common than is generally supposed,
and that many cases that have not bacn
accounted for were cNusol in tina. way.
EMilk Is good culture ilNi for typhoid
germs Nnd the germs my 10 planted III
the milk from cOntao, with contlmlnateu
air or from washing ihr milk pans with
water from q contaminated well,
DR.. Williams concludes rs follows
1t Is not difficult to keep ones premises
In n vopd sanitary condition II Que IL VIII.