The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-09-08

A typhoid fever epidemic has sud-
denly broken out in Scranton and the
vicinity, and there is hardly local
physician who has not one or more
typhoid patients under his care. In
the past two weeks numerous cases of
the disease have been reported to the
board of health, and several deaths
from typhoid have been recorded. At
the Lackawanna, Moses Taylor and
Hahnemann hospitals there are sew
eral patients receiving treatment for
typhoid fever, and almost every Sec
tion of the city is more or less affected
by the malady. The cause of this sud-
den breaking out of the disease can
only be conjectured at, but poor drain
age is considered partially responsible.
At Wednesdays meeting of the
board of health, when Miss Sweeney,
the secretary, rendered her monthly
mortality report, she announced three
deaths from typhoid fever for August.
Health officer Allen looked very grave
at this, and made an ominous remark
at the time about the spread of the
disease.
There will be many more deaths,
however, this month from the disease,
already been reported These typhoid
victims were Miss Katherine Price, of
POS North Main avenue, who died Sep
tember 3, and Evan Evans, of 1909
Washburn street, who died Septem-
ber 5.
CASES DURING AUGUST.
In all August there were but four
cases of typhoid fever reported to the
board of health, and yesterday alone
five cases We're brought to the board s
notice.
They were c. L. Shep, of 1882 Provi-
| dence road: Michael Gaffney, 1145
Thompson street; John Satonis, 912
Jones street. All these were reported
by DR.. ]. b. Corser, of North Scran-
ton. DR.. L. NJ. Gates reported the case
of Miss Rempe, of 1905 Kolb court.
who is prostrated by the sickness, and
another report was made of Anna
| Fethler, an eight-year- child, llv-
ing with her parents at BAG North Sum-
ner avenue.
At the Hahnemann hospital there
are the three cases of typhoid reported
| in yesterdays Tribune, Martin and
| Oliver Nichols, of 1919 Won Storch ave-
nue. and TORY Holmes, of 122 Oakford
! court. Besides these, the infant
| brother of the Holmes is down with
the sickness.
At the Moses Taylor hospital, Mr..
and Mrs. Summers, of South Scran-
| ton, have now passed through the
| critical stages of the fever and are on
| their way to recovery, but Lorenzo
Barber, a recently admitted patient, is
| now at the crucial point and is in a
| very serious condition.
| John Stoshk, a middle-aged man,
| living on Seventh street, now lies at
| the LackawannG hospital dangerously
| i'll with typhoid. The house surgeons
say that he is very low and in a most
| serious condition. John Boyle, of 341
| Second street. a thirteen-year-old boy,
| receiving treatment for the same ILL
ness, is making good progress and is
we'll on the path to good health.
DIR. BUSCH'S STATEMENT.
DR.. ]. w. Busch, senior house sur
| geon at the Lackawanna, remarked
yesterday to a Tribune man: "Yes
| we had several cases of typhoid fever
| here during the last month, and a
| great many applicants for treatment
| who thought they were suffering from
| the disease. The majority of these
cases proved to be of a malarial ma
ture, which very much surprised me
as this city does not seem at all con-
ducive to malaria, and these are prac-
tically the first cases of the disease
which have come under my notice
| since | have been in the city"
ON being asked to what he attrib-
uted the sudden development of sc
many cases of typhoid fever, DR.. Busch
| said:
"Oh, I don't think there is any doubt
that poor drainage is the elementary
cause. However, adulterated mill
brought in from the country district!
may have something to do with II
Milk watered with a poor and infected
brand of the fluid would cause a grea
deal of damage"
1t is very likely that this has some
thing to do with the present preva
lence of the typhoid, as 1t is a Well
known fact that very inferior branC
of milk has been brought into the cit,
of late, and Food Inspector Widmaye
has been kept busy inspecting and de
stroying hundreds of quarts of the lac
| tall 0ui1