The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-10-11
The Cause of typhoid Fever

Mr.. Editor:-There is no doubt
that there are in this city, a large
number OF persons sick with some
kind of fever, and a few have died,
one at Fourth and Pine streets.
Now the question is, are all those
who are sick, suffering from typhoid
fever, andif they are, what is caus-
ing this sickness. Our people have
about concluded that it was caused
by water from a certain spring in
the vicinity OF Franklin street. But
our people could not tell, and the
great agricultural station at New
ark could not furnish brains to an
alyze the water, so II was sent to a
Philadelphia bacteriologist, who
reported that the spring water was
pure. Now the question is, is this
sickness typhoid fever? 1t may be
remittent or intermittent fever; it
may be continued lever, or perni-
cious fever, or a low grade OF ty-
phoid fever known as malarial fever
or typhoid malarial lever. 1t is a
well known fact that typhoid fever
is classed as dirt disease. Where
it exists in vicinity, the charge is
impure water, and this is often the
case. Now there are other causes,
such as impure milk, but | believe
the great cause is imperfect drain
age from dwelling houses. Many
people have a nice clean front, but
the back yard is not exposed to pub
lie view, hence the slops and sweep
ings from the kitchen, cellar and
the whole house are dumped in the
back yard. There it lies, exposed
to the sun and the waste water from
the kitchen sink. The various at
mospheric changes upon this mess
of filth, cause if to throw off GER
tain kind Of odor, known as poison
Gus miasma, and this is inhaled by
the family, and if the system is not
in a healthy condition, the weak
person will be sick with fever.
The gas caused by this dirt Is very
poisonous. Certainly typhoid fever
will follow. Now take a bushel of
lime and spread it in the yard. cell
lar, alley S or dwellings; see that the
drainage is good, the cellar dry and
that the DWELLINGS, we'll aired every
day.
1t is well known fact that typhoid
fever is much more prevalent during
the fall or dry season. The fall
rains in November wash out all the
dirty yards, alleys and neglected
streets; then the winter weather
closes up these places with ice. No
danger from typhoid fever now un-
less it be produced by impure milk,
or a well near an out house, the
contents percolating through the
soil into the drinking water, caus-
ing it to be poisonous and unfit for
use. Then the spring rains IN April
and May wash out the filth accum-
ulated. | might cite many instances
of the prevalence OF typhoid fever
in the various States, and the cause
but these things are published, and
our people know as much and more
than do, but negligence to act is
the cause Of sickness of this kind
(dirt.)
Now as far as the Agricultural
station at Newark is concerned, it |
is the greatesttarce in these United
States. Some fifteen or twenty-five
thousand dollars are expended every
year, and for what! Will some
person tell what good the people of
Delaware receive from this source?
Why, the farming community in the
vicinity has degenerated fifty per
cent. since these well paid do Moth
ings have been there. Let this
great fraud be abolished and the
money devided to each county and
put to good use. f. b. FRAZER.