The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1898-11-18
Subject Of an Interesting Paper by DIR.
KS. Hewlett.
Read at the Public Meeting of the Maury
County Medical Society Last
Tuesday.

The following is the first of
series OF papers upon public health,
which will be read before the Maury
County Medical Society. The next
paper will have for its subject,
"DIphtheria aud How to Prevent it,"
10y DR.. j. H. Wilkes; the meeting to
be held upon the second Tuesday in
Decem Der iii the hall over the Maury
National Bank. The public is cor
daily invited to attend these meet.
Ings.
The parer read at the meeting last
Tuesday was by DR.. X. 3. Hewlett,
the subject being: The Prevention
of Typhoid Fever in Maury County"
1t is as follows:
Typhoid fever is caused by the
typhoid bacillus. Water is the princi.
pal vehicle by which this bacillus gains
admittance to the body. In Maury
County it is almost, if not altogether, the
only one. Hence, the most important
means of preventing this fever, is to
see that we have pure water supply.
ut would be beyond the scope VI this
paper to 20 into discussion of the
means of procuring apure water supply
for citIeSauu IOwns winch have sys-
TEN Of water works. 1t would be well,
however, Tor every citizen to be i'm
| pressed with the idea, that medical
matters ought to belong 10 medical men,
| and that Just so long as the sanitary
officers and the boards of health, owe
| their appointments TO political pull
with some municipal council, just so
| long VIII the cities nave public health
officers, who are entirely and blissfully
innocent vi any knowledge Of hygienic
laws.
But the chief points of this paper
! shall be directed To the Inhabitants of
our country villages and nelghOOr-
moods, where eacn Individual Is allowed
! to be the executive sanitary officer of
! MS own premises and becomes thereby
III great degree the custodian OF the
general health of his own family.
ut will be conceded by all that al
most every Maury County community
is abundantly supplied WIN water
which naturally Is pure and whole
some, but the purest Uf 1t may become
contaminated by the nearness of hu-
man habitation and just little per-
sOual careleSSnesS.
"Perhaps it Will be thought waste of
words to tell any physician or even any
intelligent citizen That when typhoid
stools are mixed with drinking water,
there viii necessarily result number
of cases of typhoid fever. However, 1t
seems that III some of the recent mill
tary camps our army medical men Ouly
learned this simple lesson after costly
and deplorable experience; Chlcamauga
being one of the most striking eX-
ampies.
"hence, it is well to impress upon
each one here to-day that when the
least drainage from typhoid stools, be 1t
ever SO many times diluted, finds its
way into the drinking water, 1t Is like
ly To produce typhoid fever. Further 1t
is cOntended and not without reason,
that even healthy stools may become u
source of infection, on account of GER.
tain bacillus, naturally benign, and
normally present, becoming malignant
outside the body and degenerating into
a pathOgenic germ.
"rnen drainage from stables, stock lots,
etc, may add u the danger by furnish
ing nutriment for these bacilli, keeping
them alive longer and enabling them to
multiply and replenish the earth with
their Kind and their peculiar disease,
thereby depicting the earth of its in
habitants.
But some will say, 'Why all this?
Will not any decent man keep his
drinking water free from these, simply
rs a matter OF cleanliness, regardless of
any fear Of diseased? But consider for
moment the many premises with
! which you are familiar and answer
frankly, does he do 1t? Can you not
call 10 mind that old well, probably not
cleaned out for years, located i'll the
lowest part of the yard, 50 that all the
filth about the pI emises must neces
sarily drain right into 1t? Or that
spring down in the stock lot, with stool
of all Kinds and fowls rs well, all around
it, the spring branch choked up with
leaves and grass, the stream making Its
way off sluggishiy and labOrlOusly
This is not an CVerurdwn picture OF the
premises of many of our well To do peo'
ole, and lay special stress upon TINS
simply because l am painfully con
yInced that the water supply 10 most
sadly neglected throughout the county
ana becomes thereby most prollhc
source of sickness ana death.
"NOW,a lew simple suggestions as to
how the drinking water may be kept
pure land in following these you are
lighting not only typhoid fever, but al
, other water borne diseases).
. First, the spring or we'll and the
. priyies and other Out-hOuses, should
l not be so located, that the drainage
; shall be from latter, tOCdrd the former
D If thew are already so located then it i,
e absolutely essential that such a condi
ton should be remedied, il it can bC
: done at any reasonable cost. 1t tn,
:. ground is level, then they should be al
: least 100 yards apart, or, if this is no
, feasible, then the prlVy should be sup
piled with tight vdult which will moi
allow the subsoil to become saturated
with its contents aud from which tEey
!, can be removed and carried To SAFE
distance.
"Another important precautiOn il
~ that the Ton of the we'll, ciStern OF
q spring should be So arranged that Their,
a shall he absolutely No surface or shall
!. low underground drainage into il, even
, after "A heavy rainfall, tor this is thu
manner in which the NTH from the sur