The evening times., 1898-08-31
Special Causes of Typhoid Raw
ages at Camp Alger.
REPORT OF DOCTOR KOBER
Fifty Different Species OF Hncter"
q, tho Potomac Water-Invaston
Of Microbes Into the Human sSs-
tem-Water From Wells Worse
Than That From the Stream.

eft has been estimated that about one
half of the wafer descending as ram iiius
its way into the streams. Inc "ater
courses are the natural drainage chah-
nels of the country. and river water Is
therefore a mixture of spring. ground. |
rain and surface water, but apart from
This IL is not surprising that the wastes
of human life and occupation should also |
find their way into the rivers.
1.-The meteorological examinations OF
the Potomac water conducted at the AT
my Medical Museum several years ago
demonstrated over fifty different species
of bacteria in the Potomac water. and
that ii contains intestinal bacteria at all
times Drs Kinyoun and Sprasue, OF tne
Marine Hospital Service. have MADE sys-
tematic examinations OF the water lot
some time. Since July l these have been
made semi-weekly from constantly run
ming tap close to the main. and fairly
represent therefore the water as II Is
found after leaving the reservoir.
9Th, number of organisms in the water
varied from $50 to 20.000 10 a teaspoonfui,
with an average of something over l,o'o.
Since August / intestinal bacteria, with
few exceptions. have been found in every
sample Besides these tests. samples
were taken at or near all the important
mac and Shenandoah Rivers and Seneca
Creek and may be said to accurately rep
resent the bacterio.oyical condition OF the
entire river with It's tributaries. lntes-
final organisms were found in over 30 per
cent of the samples.
THE presence of intestinal bacteria IS
satisfactory evidence of pollution by fe-
cal matter OF man or the lower animals
They are suggestive of dangerous con-
tamination ard strongly point to the
possibility of Infection with typhoid ba-
cii. 1t should be distinctly understood
that the evacuc.icSs of man and the
lower animals c5ncain intestinal bac:erta
bu. only the dejecta of typhoid fever
patients contain the specIEc gNrms OF
th disea.e. Brt there are qu:te num-
btr Of scientists who believe that one OF
.rhe intestinal orgarisms-viz. the coon
bacil!us-is capable CT being transformed
into the typhoid bacilli by suitable
environments. Mr. Davis, cf the Geo
Logical Survey. estinatts that the sew
age from the vicinity of Cuno zrland. a
distance Of about l3i miles. requires from
ty., 10 four days 20 reach the Washing
ton aGueduct
1--WE know that typhoid fever prevails
Among the Inhabitants Of the watershed
and that according to WoHhugei anu
Tffelmann the germs of TYPHOID leNer
retain their vitality for numStr oil days
in ordinary water. The statement ina.
a flow of even ten or twelve miles Is sur
ficient to fret a river Of all trace oil Sc"
age contamination is no longer cred-
lied especIa iy as an outbreak oil en-
tsrc fever in hospital using river va
tr was traced to barracks twenty -h'
miles away.
"wl,jle II is true that so far the germs
of typhoid fever have not been demon :
strattd in Potomac water, Is equdii!
true that they were not lsoialeo IN o
n-e,I AT Takoma which infected eleven
bactpriDi0glSt S-lll-
n;y found the colon bacillus. which IS
evidence of fecal pollution but all this IS
not very surprising since the best pacte
rinlogfsts have failed TO find. except IN
ore OF, two instances, the germs Oh .
rhofi fever under conditions sFo"s''
suggestive of their presence.
~ have already stated that these germs
are only present in the dejecta OF ty'
,,hoid patient, while the colon paciiius
nresant in every fecal evacuation, hence
the chances of isolating them IN lars'
body Of water are very much ike hhoiiii
/, needle in a haystack, but one reason
why they have not been found Is becaus'
we have not sufficiently often looked 10,
rhem-the occasional examination Oh
teospoonful of water drawn from a run
ming sriyot is no proof that they do mol
exist. Another reason lies In the iacl
that by the time we are able TO connect 8
certain epidemic with particular wafer
suDply some days will have elapsed, tH'
germs have been distributed. they are
nrobably exhausted, and thus most op
nort,Ipe time for their detection will hav'
been lost.
..Our psychologists, however. find, al
most daily, intestinal bacteria IN the tai
water of their laboratory, and as leca
contamination is certainly not tolerated
near the intake of our water supply
maintain that their presence Is evidence
of some distant source of pollution, AM
that they have not been destroyed by tn
natural agencies which are believed to d.
all sufficient by the advocates of the the
ory of self-purifcation of streams
Invasion of the microbe alone is no
sufIicient 10 produce the disease, for thi:
takes place often enough. So long a:
the digestive functions are good and th'
blood is pure the natural defenses OF th'
body are strong enough TO battie VIII
the microbial invaders. and they are di
gested like so many other vegetable ceiis
hut If for any reason the functions o
the stomach are impaired and the bloo'
offers suitable conditions for the srowtl
of these germs. the battle Is lost an
structural and functional troubles ar
brought about through the agency
these organisms. Physicians call this
nredisposition to disease and just as W
find in some persons a natural predispo
sitfon to certain diseases, so We find Il
others an immunity or. If you please,
certain opposition to disease
DIR. kOber continues
"The primary object of disposing
sewage without permitting 1t to poiiut
the streams is the prevention of the SO
called water-borne diseases These IN
clude not only typhoid fever but ais
cholera dysentery cholera morbus an
diarrheal diseases, simply because the VI
rus or disease-producing agents are nat
uralIy found in the intestinal tract AM
consequently also in the sewage. we d
not claim that polluted water supply
the only possible means of spreading IN
germs of these diseases, but there Is sue
an array of archaeological facts connect
ing their spread with a contaminate
drinking water, and some of the specin
germs have actually been round therein
that we feel fully fortified in speaking o
these affections as water-borne. This
so well recognized by the medical pro
fession that continued typhoid mortal
is regarded as an absolute evidence of
polluted water supply. Moreover, stud
of the subject reveals the significant fac
that cities both at home and abroad II
which there has been the most marke
decrease in the typhoid-fever death rat
are those In which a pure water suppl
has been substituted for a pre-existin
contaminated one"
From this report made several month
ago and presented by Senator Vest in
memorial to Congress 1t will be seen tha
typhoid fever at Camp Alger was large
ly due to the polluted water supply.