Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-08
OF FEVER
Outbreak in Washington
Reaches Highest Point.
HEALTH OFFICE VIEWS
NOT AN UNUSUAL NUMBER OF
CASES OF RECORD.
-
Statistics of Disease in Other Cities
Increase in Number of Deaths
in Chicago.

| From present indications it would seem
| that the typhoid fever outbreak in Wash
! ington has reached its highest point. There
| has been a decrease in the number of cases
under treatment during the past few days
| and 1t is expected that from now until the
| end of October a level will be maintained.
| In other words, the situation has reached
| the point where the new cases reported
| will be balanced by the number of recoV-
! cries.
| The health authorities of the District de-
| clare there Is absolutely nothing alarmi lg
| in the present situation There Is nothing
! upon which to base claim that the num-
Der of cases occurring this summer Is un-
usually large. DR.. William C. Woodward.
the health officer of the District, thus
| epltomizes the situation:
1T Is not that we are having more cases
| than usual, but we are having more than
| we ought to have"
| Bearing out the claim Of the health de-
partment that there is no unusual excess
in the number of typhoid fever cases IN the
| capital city Is the fact that during the
| week ended Saturday last there were but
| five deaths from the fever, compared with
six deaths in the corresponding week Of last
year. The number Of deaths from typnoid
| in August this year was thirty nine, COM
| pared to thirty-three last year in the same
month. This shows an increase, 1t is true,
| but not an alarming one. In July of This
year there were twenty-one deaths In
| Washington from typhoid fever, as against
sixteen in July Of last year. Again tnere
was an increase, but not such a marked one
as many people have supposed.
Keeping a Record.
Not until this year did the law require
| a return to be made to the health office
of all typhoid fever cases. Heretofore no
record has been kept, so it Is only by COM
pairing the number of deaths occurring
now with those which occurred in former
| years that a line On the present situa-
| ton may be drawn. The authorities will
| not say there are no more cases this year
| than there were LIST year, but maintain
| there is unusual increase and the NOR
| taity figures seem to bear out the conten-
| ton. The number of cases reported this
| year does appear startling at first sight,
| but when the matter is sifted down there
| seems to be nothing to warrant the claim
| of an extraordinary epidemic. The health
| officer is not at all pleased with Washing
| tons record in regard to the typhoid fever
! but is looking forward to a redemption of
| the city in this regard through the medium
| of the filtration plant, which is now hap
| PLY under way. Fl
! The authorities are much pleased with the
| latest reports on the fever situation. The
| number Of cases under treatment at noon
| today was 1914. The highest number dur
T ing the present summer was reached last
| Wednesday, when 376 cases were recorded
| on the books. There has been q decline of
| IL cases, therefore. during the past five
| days. Before that time the increase had
| been a steady one. AS an indication that
| the fever has about reached its highest
| level of the summer is the fact that today
| reports were received Of 10 new cases while
| 16 cases were reported discharged. The
| number Of recovertes thus more than bal
anced the number Of new cases.
Confined to No Locality.
! A map Of the District, on which the
cases of typhoid are plotted as they occur,
| shows that the disease is not confined to
| any one locality. 1t shows Furthermore
| that there is no one locality entirely free
| from the fever. AS a result Of this condi-
| ton the health authorities are unable to
| find that the people included in such
| wide open to but one common
| source Of infection. and that Ia Potomac
| water They attribute the prevalence OF
| the disease to the presence OF typhoid ba-
| cillus in the water and say Furthermore
| that II there has been an increase in the
| number Of cases this year 1t is more than
| likely due to the fact that the water in the
| river has been comparatively low this sum-
mer. There may be other factors entering
| Into the prevalence Of the disease, Dr.
Woodward declares. but personally he is
| inclined to the belief that the low water
| has had as much to do with the matter as
| any other thing.
Statistics show that when the water is
| high and comparatively turbid and filled
with bacteria the typhoid rate is low, and
| when the water Is low and crystal clear the
| typhoid rate is high. This condition, 1t Is
said. is easily accounted for. When the
river is high the great volume OF water is
| diluted and the bacteria contained in 1t Is
| generally speaking harmless. When the
! water is low and clear the typhoid bacillus
| is still present, for the sewage discharges
into the river continue constantly whether
| there be drought or frequent freshets
Rain water dilutes the sewage bacflli, and
that; the authorities declare, accounts for
| the low rate during high water.
| 1t was said that during the hearing on
| the filtration plans for this city 1t was
| brought out that the sand filter is superior
| to the mechanical in eliminating typhoid
germs during the clear water season. This
| fact was regarded an important one in
| It's bearing on the local situation. The me-
| at times OF turbid water, but the sand filter
| works well at all times and the clear water
| Is passed through the beds as carefully as
| when the Potomac is muddiest.
| In Other Cities.
From reports so far received at the
health office typhoid fever is not preva-
| lent in other large cities as has been gen.
! orally supposed. Chicago is suffering from
| Its worst epidemic in years apparently. and
| Baltimore has had unusual increase In
| the number of cases during the past week.
| Outside of these two cities no reports have
| been received showing an unusual number
OF cases. In fact, in most of the cities the
| deaths from typhoid this summer have been
! unusually few. In Chicago during August
there Were 1913 deaths from typhoid as
| against 80 deaths for the same month last
year. an increase Of 10. This was the high
est death list during any one month the
! chicago authorities have ever known, the
nearest approach having lbeen in 1891, when
49, deaths occurred in one month.
In baltimore last week 80 new cases of
| typhoid were reported, and there were ten
deaths All weekly records of the health
department were broken, During the same
week of last year f1fty-four new cases were