Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-26
TYPHOID GERMS AND OYSTERS.
Ma ssachusetts Hoard of Health Re-
ports on a Recent Case.

From the Boston Transcript.
To prove concusively that raw oysters
are susceptible to attacks from the typhoid
fever germ, thus becoming a medium for
the transmission of the disease into the
human body, is impossible, because the
germ is still unknown to science, but cir
cumstantial evidence has established 1t in
many cases beyond reasonable doubt. In
the past local authorities have relied upon
the results of Investigations made In other
states and countries, as for example the
investigation of the typhoid fever cases
which originated at a dinner of the Wes-
leyan College in 1894, and the extensive
inquiries made by the British government;
but now the Massachusetts state board of
health has a case of its own upon which
to base its convictions. 1t has made a
thorough investigation of the cause of
typhoid fever which broke out among the
summer residents at Marion last summer,
and now says in its communication to the
Marion board of health: THE board has
made such an investigation and has come
to the conclusion that the probable cause
of the origin of the disease was the use
OF oysters taken from sewage-polluted
water. 1t is quite plain, therefore, that
polluted region may at any time be at
tended with danger" In this instance, as
in every other case brought to the atten-
ton of psychologists, the germ was not
are as convincing as the indications of it's
presence in milk, and upon satisfactory
evidence that milk delivered On d certain
route causes typhoid fever, as happened
in several places last summer, the local
health authorities cut off the whole supply
found to be polluted.
In the case under consideration, original
ing in Marion, the state board of health
traced to its origin nearly every article of
food consumed by the typhoid fever pa
tients during their sojourn at the shore,
and found that only the oyster could have
caused the disease, if it were caused by
food at all. a detailed study was then
made by the board concerning the origin,
bedding and the methods Of handling oys-
tiers used in Marion. The oyster supply of
hotel, where no cases Of the disease de-
veloped, was obtained from Cotuit, and a
visit made there showed that the oysters
were not polluted by sewage. Samples of
oysters were taken, however, and exam
ined at the experiment station at Law
renee and no colon baclli were found inside
the shells. But the oysters which the pa
tients i'll with typhoid fever had eaten
came from small cove on the opposite
side of the Marion shore. Samples taken
there and examined We're found to be free
from the colon bacill
These oysters subsequently were brought
to the Marion shore, and when not imme-
diately used were bedded along the shore,
small cove. Several families would have
their oysters brought to the shore near
their own houses bedding them down in
the water near the shore until they wanted
to use them. Examination of oysters taken
from the fish market wharf cove, and at
different places along the shore. showed
them to be infected with the colon bacillus
There Is no sewerage system in use by
the town itself, but the sewage from a
preparatory. school located in the town is
conveyed through a sewer pipe to the bay,
and discharged into the water near the
fish market wharf cove and a number of
at, l4o1
town, bringing the sewage directly to the
shore where the oysters were bedded.
At least one investigation Of similar
nature has been made in Boston recently,
and 1T is said that there was no. connection
between the disease and oysters, but the
facts in that investigation are that it was
impossible to find out whence came the
oysters which the patients had eaten. The
colon bacillus found in oysters at Marion
is not the typhoid germ, but it's presence
proves that there was sewage in the water
surrounding the oysters, and cases of ty-
phoid fever were previously found in the
vicinity of the shores.