Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-08-23
TO PREVENT TYPHOID
Physicians Say Boil Drinking
Water and Be Careful of
Fresh Vegetables.
DO NOT GIVE GERMS A CHANCE
Other Precautions That Are Recon-
mended to Ward or the
Disease.

| Typhoid fever is one of the most
deceptive ailments the physicians
have to treat. Its insidious manner
of showing itself and the serious re-
suits which usually follow it make it
more to be feared than many of the
contagious diseases for which resi-
dences and even cities are quaran-
| tined. The fever comes on so @radu-
| ally that only in rare cases can the
first day of the attack be positively
remembered by the patient. The
symptoms begin with a general Ian
guor and continues with a tired feel
ing at night. poor appetite and sort of
| aching all over. About the time
these symptoms become MANIFEST the
very best treatment would be to send
for a doctor.
Typhoid fever affects more gener-
| ally people between the ages of Is
and - and men are attacked by it in
a very much larger percentage than
women. Three or four times as many
men as women have typhoid fever. \
popularity about typhoid is it seems
to affect robust laboring men more
severely than it does men and wo-
men who have not always been con-
| sidered strong and healthy.
Necessity for Boiling Water.
The necessity for boiling the water
cannot be emphasized too much. An
other precaution is to see that the
water in which all vegetables are
rinsed should ba boiled. and fresh
vegetables. like cold slaw. celery and
lettuce. should be thoroughly rinsed
with boiled water The object of
boiling the water is of course to kill
the germs, as they cannot live in high
| temperature.
Some of the indications of typhoid
fever are frontal headaches. coated
tongue, sometimes bleeding nose. and
constipation. All people should be
careful to keep the bowels free The
use of salts is not recommended by
all physicians since salts in them
selves are sometimes weakening and
in many cases nauseating. However,
| the keeping of the organs in good
condition is one of the necessary
| treatments. After this has been fol-
lowed send for the doctor.
Cannot BE Readily Diagnosed.
The physicians do not claim to be
able to prevent typhoid fever entire
| ~, but they can begin immediate
treatment to open up the obstructed
passages and to kill off as many of
the germs as possible and in that
manner frequently reduce the length
of the attack and make it somewhat
milder. Inis is not always true, how
ever. \ case of typhoid fever can
not be readily diagnosed. The term
from the time the first germs are
taken into the system until the case
is fully developed runs from S to %
days. and during this entire time ply
SicianS are AT a loss to say exactly
what the case may be. In the early
stages it is frequently contiicted
with malarial troubles, and while
the germs are in no wise similar, the
prevailing conditions seem to be
about the same. Typhoid fever may |
be contracted through milk as we'll |
as through wafer. and one of |
the reasons for this is that the milk |
men frequently wash their cans ut |
an ordinary pump and such germs as
may be in the water are. likely to |
stick fast to The can and these devel- |
OPP in the milk and thus taken into |
the system. In any case where there |
is feeling of uneaSiness and the pa |
tient is not satisfied what the trou- |
BILE may be, the best plan should be
to send for physician.
Home remedies cannot be used with |
any degree of satisfaction in these
cases. Even physicians are unable to
do much more than prescribe diet
and oversee the nursing of the pa
tient. The principal remedy lies in
precautions to prevent the fever be-
ing contracted.
Danger Period
Physicians say that while this sea
son may not see an epidemic of ty- |
phoid, there will be an unusually |
large number of cases. 1t is rather
early in the season for cases to de-
veIop. September and october being
the best months in the year for it.
although it sometimes runs into No
vember. The germs of the disease
are most generally taken into the
system in water, although flies and
mosquitoes carry them frequently in
to food and thus into the system. To
boil everything taken into the sys
tenn of course involves an immense
amount of labor. and probably will |
not be followed by a single person in
the city. As one physician expressed
it yesterday, there is always the pos
sibility of railway cars meeting with |
accidents, but people will ride just |
the same. So it is with typhoid. |
They know that the only safe way is
to boil everything eaten, but they !
won't do it,
Physicians seem to feel very little |
fear of typhoid developing from the |
use of city water, or that which |
comes from deep wells. The people |
most susceptible to typhoid are those |
,r-n1l IN rrInr.., LIZ, -.