Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-27
THEPOLLUTEDWATER
Filter Beds Recommended for Its I'm.
provement.
REPORT OF SURGEON GEN. SrERNBERG
Study Of the Cause Of High Typhoid
Fever Rate.
A COMMISSION FAVORED

In compliance with Senate resolution of
January TO- asking for his opinion concern
ing the pollution Of Potomac river water,
Surgeon General George M. Sternberg of
the army has made a report, in which he
says:
1T is evident that further Investigations
will be needed to determine with accuracy
how far the large typhoid fever mortality
rate of Washington is due to pollution of
its water SUPPLY, and also to determine in.
definite manper what is the best method
of improving the quality of the Potomac
water, from a sanitary point of view. So
far as 1 am able to judge at present the
most reliable and practicable method of
attaining the object in view would be the
construction of filter beds similar to those
in use for purifying the water supply of
London, Hamburg and other European
cities. and at Lawrence. Mass, in this
country. Before entering upon an under
taking Of such importance and cost it
would, in my opinion, be jCdicious for the
Congress of the United States to appoint
commission, to consist of sanitary and en-
cheering experts, to investigate the whole
subject, with authority to visit Europe for
the purpose of witnessing the practical
workings of filtering basins now in use, to
make experiments If necessary and to esti
mate the ccst of filtering basin suitable
for the publication of the water supply OF
the city of Washington"
Typhoid Fever In Washington.
Regarding the spread of typhoid fever in
this city. Gen. Sternberg says:
THE history of typhoid fever in WASH
irgton, until the past year. showed steady
increase in the mortality rate. This Is
shown by an appeI ded chart taken from
the report of Dr. Geo. M. Kober. The re-
port of the health officer of the District
inaugUrated have at last been effective in
arresting this steady increase and that
there was notable diminution in the
number of deaths from typhoid fever and
other Zymotic diseas es. 1 quote from his
report as follows:
The most important feature in the de-
crease in the number of deaths from
Zymotic diseases Is the diminution in the
number of fatal cases of typhoid fever and
diarrhceal diseases. And while malarial
fever itself cannot be properly classed with
such Diseases the extreme rarity of fatal
cases of this disease in this climate, in the
practice of many of the best informed
physicians, renders it not unlikely that
many of the deaths reported as due to 1t
were in reality due to typhoid fever. So
that the apparent decrease In malarial
fever may be considered in this connection.
The decrease was as follows:
1896 1897
Typhoid fever 24O 153
Darrhoeal diseases. 46S 1853
Malarlal FEVER. ~ 81
Totals Observation-Disclosures. $50 562
"'While it is not safe to base conclusions
upon this improvement in the death rate
for single year, yet 1t comedies with the
closing of a very considerable number OF
surface wells; with the replacement of
very considerable number Of box privies
with running closets, and the proper drain
age of the premises; and with a closer
supervision of the milk supply, Is very sug-
gestive of some relation Of cause and effect
and possibly justifies US in expecting fur
Their Improvement in the future. The pres
ent diminution in the typhoid fever death
rate is especially satisfactory, as 1t had
increased continuously since 1857. The
death rate from this disease during the
past year O.53 per 1000 is the lowest since
1851 and is considerably lower than the
average for the past twenty-five years
O6D.'"
COmparison With Other Cities.
"As compared with other cities in this
country and abroad, the sanitary condi-
ton of Washington, as judged by the ty-
phoid fever locality, is far from being
creditable. This is shown by an appended
table, which 1 take from the recent work
0S96) of Prof. VIM. P. Mason cWater
Supply" considered principally from a Sani-
tory standard).
This table shows that in list Of fifty
four American cities there are but six hav-
ing higher typhoid mortality than Wash
ington, and that our rate is more than four
times that of London and Hamburg, and
more than seven times that of Breslau,
Berlin or Rotterdam, all of which cities are
supplied with filtered river water.
NO doubt the high typhoid fever mortal
ity rate in this city is in part due to other
causes besides pollution of the water sup
ply and it is difficult to estimate the exact
value of each factor. In the report of DR..
Kober, already referred to, the following
statement is made:
"'Of the 421 infected houses, 261 had
L
cesspools, had surface privies or sinks,
and had no privies. A census taken in
1893 showed the presence in round num-
bers of 43 900 houses in the city and 1000
in the county, with 1859 box privies within
the city limits and 5,133 in the county.
Since that time it is safe to estimate from
the building permits that 1000 additional
dwellings have been built and more sewer
connections have been made. No official
records are kept as to the exact number of
box privies now in service, but judging
from the statement of the OdorlesS EX-
cavating Company, the number within the
city limits has probably decreased to about
1000, with increase to about 5000 in
the suburbs, making a total of 1900 box
privies now in use in the District. This
leaves 1900 houses supplied with sewer
connections and 1900 houses with box
privies and ordinary makeshifts, and it is
a noteworthy fact that while the 10000
houses with sewer connections contributed
261 of the typhoid fever houses, the 1900
houses supplied with makeshifts furnished
100 infected houses. Map III shows the
distribution of box privies in 1893. The
role they play as factors in SOIL water and
air pollution is best judged by the fact
that during the fiscal year ending June 80,
1895. the sanitary inspectors reported to
your Office 4,372 box privies as full 748
as 'leaky,'' 5,201 filthy" and 23O "dilir--
dated" These boxes, even If there were no
wells. are still source of danger. In so far
they favor the transmission of germs by
means of infected flies, nor can the possi-
bility be ignored that these organisms in
leaky or OVERLOOKING boxes may reach the
upper layer of the soil and with pulverized
dust gain access to the system 1t has been
proven over and over again that while the
rate of typhoid fever diminished after the
introduction of good water supply, the
effects are still more marked when COM
bined with good system of sewers
NOrthwest's Low Typhoid Rate.
when we compare the typhoid fever
mortality rate in that section of this city
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