The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-12-03

fever, / wrote President McIver, sug-
costing that he write DR. Anderson. al
Wilson, the BacferiologiSt of the Beard,
for the section of the State including
Greensboro, for steralized bottles and
have meteorological examination of
the waters made. as it was much more
important than chemical.
He did SO. the bottles came, the sam
pies were taken, packed and carried i'll
person by Prof. Joyner to the express
office and receipt taken on Friday, No
yember 9th. On Monday morning Nc
liver teIegrarhed DR. Anderson of the
result of the examination for the meet
ing of the Board of Directors that night.
He replied that the water had not been
received. Inquiries showed that the
box had never left the express office at
Greensboro. | mention this to explain
the delay at which the people We're
growing impatient, and would add that
meteorological examinations require sew
eral days Other bottles We're imme-
diately steralized new samples taken
and gotten off that night, the express
company exerting themselves to hurry
them forward.
DR.. Anderson's report has been re-
ceived. 1t shows the water of the Tea
que well and of the central well near
the brick dormitory to be infected
with intestinal bascilli, and that of the
other well and city supply to be free
from harmful germs.
Explanation The general impression,
with a reservation as to the bacteriolOgi-
cal examination, was that the leaking
soil pipe was the cause of the fever,
on the theory that every time the door
Of the butter room was open a draft
Of air from the outside blew. over the
sewerage saturated earth through the
ventilated opening in the wall carrying
with it the germs and injecting the but
tel-and possibly other food products in
the general store-room, the door OF
which is 10 feet from that of the butter
room and opens on Il connecting pass
age This condition was unsanitary in
the highest degree, and sewer gas in
sleeping and living rooms is undoubted-
~ cause of disease, but being extreme
~ sceptical, to say the least, as to
the aerial transmission of typhoid fe-
yer, | could not accept this theory
though | feared / would be compelled
to do so. The cause, whatever it was,
was enc common to all the residents in
the college, either food or drink, par
taken of by all, as the sickness was Inn
partially scattered through the three
widely separated dormitories. The cen
trail well was the only one used by all
It's location, 10 feet from the nearest
sewer. slightly uphill, and 30 feet
through solid rock made its infection
seem very improbable But ssolid'' rock
generally has cracks in it, and from
somewhere, most probably, of course, in
the leaking soil pipes. which may have
been leaking for several years-it was
put in in 1S95-the sewerage travelling
very slowly, perhaps, and just reach
ing the well this fall, bacteria found
only in the intestine of man or animal
have gotten into that we'll The sur
reundings exclude animal origin The
specific germ of typhoid fever is closer
kin to--some say identical with--the or
binary intestinal or colon baseillus, Its
habitat and habits being much the same,
and drinking water contaminated with
human sewerage, although the bascillus
typhosus may not be isolated, which is
a difficult thing to do, is regarded as
sufficient cause for the disease. The
objection that the outside students
drank of this same water / would
meet by saying that they were i'm the
institution only five or six hours day
five days in the week, that women
Froyerhially drink very little water
too little for their own good generally
and that small doses of the poison do
not cause the disease always Then
some are more susceptible than others
hardly more than 10 per cent succumb
to full doses.
Care Of the SickI went through the
infrmary and saw the arrangement and
management, and / do not hesitate to
say that with skilfull physicians, train
ed nurses, good surroundings and an af-
fcctionate interest on the part of every
one connected with the college, the sick
could not be cared for better any
where.
The Management.-In the light Of
what has occurred ii is easy to say that
those In control of the institution are
to blame. | think not--any more than
we all are under similar circumstances.
As ] understand it, the plumbing was let
TO responsible parties, the contract be-
ing for first elias" job, and there
seems to have been no reason to suspect
the leak for particular inquiry of the
young lady who was in the butter room
every day developed that she had nor
noticed any odor other than usually
found in all easements None of MS