Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1902-08-20
Health Hints.

The health department of Chicago on
Sunday issued q lengthy bulletin giving
advice to people relative to the preven-
tion of typhoid fever, which may we'll
be needed generally. For the condi-
tions which have made typhoid we'll
nigh epidemic in Chicago have prevail
ed over large section of the country.
The bulletin begins by stating that
the department wishes to shock the
public with the realization of the ma
ture and sole cause of this disease. AS
TO the cause of typhoid fever, it makes
this explicit statement:
Every existing case Of typhoid fever
is the result of having taken into the
stomach the poison from the intestines
of some previous case. The disease
can be contracted in no other way.
Typhoid fever" continues the bulle-
tin, "is not catching in the sense that
small pox and scarlet fever and other
contagious diseases are. One must eat
or drink the typhoid poison" The bull
letin then goes on to point out the COM
mon methods Of conveyance: First,
by drinking polluted drinking water or
milk. The bulletin states that one of
the most frequent methods of pollution
comes about by washing milk cans IN
contaminated water and the washing
of vegetables In water from polluted
wells or streams.
Undoubtedly the surface wells are a
tremendous menace to health. After
q wet season, such as we have had, all
sorts of filth finds It's way into surface
wells. Milkmen unwittingly use this
polluted water to wash milk cans. The
warm milk furnishes most excellent
culture for the germs. People drink
IL without thought of danger and con-
tract the disease. 1t was by this meth
cd that typhoid became epidemic at the
college at Ames year or SO ago.
The health bulletin also tells how ty
phoid may be avoided. 1t advises peo-
pie to drink no water not known posi-
lively to be pure or sterilized by boiling
or distilling; to pasteurize all milk and
cream used for drinking purposes, es'
pecially by the young. 1t states that
milk or cream raised to temperature
of 100 or 160 degrees for from twenty
to twenty-five minutes is made perfect
ly safe, and will keep several days with
out souring. In the third place, people
are advised to wash all vegetables
fruits and green stuff intended to bt
eaten raw in water that has been boilec
at least twenty minutes and then cooled
1t advises against the use of water cool
ed by putting ice directly In the water
1t says "put the vessel in the ice, no
the ice in the vessel" And lastly, i
advises extra precautions against flies
Flies are said to have been the mos
potent agency in the spread of typhoit
in the army camps during the late wal
Covered with the poison from the filth,
pools and filthy vegetables, flies crawl
ing over food previously wholesome
contaminate 1t, and the mischief |
done. s
There can be no doubt about the ab
solute accuracy of these facts. Expert
ments without number have shown ex
actly how typhoid fever originates, an
everybody should give heed to thi
warning. Next to consumption, ther
is no greater enemy to human life tina
typhoid fever. 1t is pestllence ths
walketh in darkness. The germs of
may be concealed In water that seem
to be most refreshing; in milk that
palatable and sweet, in food that temp
the appetite. Cedar Rapids Republ
can.