Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1902-08-09
TYPHOID EPIDEMIC AND THE REA-
SOW WIZ

The scOurge of typhoid fever IL now
among us. Typhoid fever is to-day ep.
idemic in Chicago. but our famous
Health Department goes along serene.
~ fiddling out It's daily shams about d.
luted milk. and giving absurd and abso.
lutely impossible daily analyses of the
water supply. The following extract
bearing on the matter is taken from the
Chicago Daily News:
Chicago is threatened with a serious
epidemic Of typhoid fever. At the close
of last week there were 151 patients
suffering from the disease In the Cook
County Hospital, eighteen ut the Pres.
byterian Hospital, twenty-five ut the
Alexian Brothers Hospital and twen-
ty at various West Side hospitals. This
number. which does not take into &C.
count the patients Mt other hospitals
and In private homes, has been in.
creased since Saturday.
1.-THE present epidemic In undoubtedly
traceable chiefly to Impurities in the
water supply. Normally there Is a
large increase in the number Of typhoid
cases In September, and the outbreak
Of 80 much sickness thus early In the
season In OminOus Of bad conditions Il
come. The effect Of the heavy and fire.
quent rains Of the early summer, flush
Ing the sewers and turning the water,
Of the river back into the lake, Ii Il
be seen In the pollution Of the city,
drinking water and promises to bring
the typhoid mortality far above the nv
erage. Were the interceptlng sewer,
In operation the city would have ca
caped this evil, but In the circumstan cei
1t IL highly important for the either
to take such precautions as lie within
his reach"
Now the Eagle does not believe thai
our water supply is primarily responsi
bic for the typhoid epidemic. Let III
ask ourselves why an extra heavy rain
fall should have the effect Of pOisonin,
the water supply.
II the city or the Health Department
performed It's duty the sewers would b
kept continually flushed and a heav,
rainfall would not then produce On,
unusual conditions In our water SUP
ply.
But the sewers Of the city are neve
flushed except when 1t rains. Here 4
another case In point. We quote fron
the Chronicle Of Wednesday:
"A dead horse has been lying by tn
car track ut 31st street and South Parl
avenue since Monday afternoon. Ar
peals by phone. mail and messenge
have aroused no action OF the Cit.
Hall authorities. AZ a result severn
stores ut the corner have been com
PEELED to close their doors.
AT (? o'clock Monday afternoon tire
large horses started across 3lst stree
pulling one Of the large salt wagons o
the International Salt Company. A
they neared the car tracks the of hOrs
dropped to the ground dead. Inside o
an hour fresh horse was sent Out
hitched to the-wagon, and the salt wa
carried on Its way.
"Mr. Cleary, the grocer, immediatel,
called up the Board of Health ana RI
ported the matter to the Health De
partment. The reply was that the,
would notify the dead animal cOntraC
tor to have 1t removed. This was ut
O'Clock Monday afternoon. MOnda,
evening and all day Tuesday resident
were busy telephOning the Health Dc
partment and police. Policemen OF
that beat passed occasionally. viewe'
the horse and passed on. Fully TWEEN
ty-fve messages and twenty pOsta
cards were sent Tuesday afternoon dc
mandIng, praying ana supplicatinl
the removal Of the animal. but not
single move In that direction has u
yet become manifest. This Is the kin,
Of Health Department we have Il
Chicago, and to which the Eagle IN
time and again drawn public attention
| Is II any wonder we have n typhoi
aniIpmicy