The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-08-04
PREVALENCE OF
TYPHOID FEVER
Rains of June and July Held Response
BILE for the Spread of the
Malady.

CHICAGO, Aug. 3.-One hundred
and forty-four new cases of typhoid
fever were admitted to the county
hospital last week. Twenty -four were
taken Friday and twenty yesterday.
Acting Warden Hoppel predicts anoth-
er score today. The spread of the dis
ease has caused alarm among the
health officials. 1t is laid chiefly to the
protracted spell of rain in June and
July.
Boil your WATER said DR.. w. A.
Evans, of the county hospital staff Of
physicians. Better still, boil your
water twice"
This is a very unreasonable time
for typhoid" said Mr.. Hoppel. "The
disease usually develops in the fall
months, September or october. Never
in my experience has the disease been
so prevalent during midsummer. The
situation, is very serious and must be
met by prompt action ON the part of
the, health authorities. Flooded eel
lars and Iong-standing pools of filth
due to the heavy rains are probably
responsible for the conditions that con-
front us. That being the case, every
citizen and property owner should
proceed Immediately to do his share
toward removing the source of dan
ger. A little done by each individual
will aggregate more in a short time
IMAM cosby 0uOTlS OH the part VI COL-
Stituted authority.
There was an epidemic of typhoid
in 1892 which caused the health au-
thorities great uneasinesS. 1t was at
tributed largely to the flow of sew
age into the lake, the vast flow from
the big city pOlluting the water supply.
The completion of the drainage canal
caused us to believe that the condi-
tons of 1892 would never recur; and
do not think that Chicago would
ever have been seriously troubled with
typhoid again had it not been for the
heavy rains, one after another, which
flooded cellars, choked up sewers and
produced the conditions from which
disease so often follows"
There is one simple safeguard
against typhoid fever" said DR.. Ev-
ans. 1T is so necessary for people to
know this that it will bear much re-
iteration. 1t is, Boil your water This
is so simple that it should be adopted
by everybody. 1t is worth more to an
individual than $1,000 worth of med
icine, and. consequently, the poor can
be as well served as the rich, if they
will only boil their water. 1t is a sim
pie thing to keep kettle on the StOvh
in which to boil the family supply Of
drinking. water so as to remove the
danger of sickness and to prevent loss
of work and expense"
to the cellars into which refuse from
the sewers has been forced back the
ponds and puddles of water in vacant
lots are breeding places or the typhoid
germ and should be drained off at
once. Such places exist in the tene-
ment districts.
AS a result many of the typhoid pa
tients are from those localities where
overcrowding makes the spread of the
disease rapid.
In the cleaner residence districts
there is comparatively little danger.
This is because the residences of the
more prosperous, including the dwell
ers in flats, are better drained, more
sanitary and in every way freer from
danger of contagion.
The following is given as an explain
alton of the manner in which the lake
water is made impure:
con account of the unprecedented
down-pour of rain there has been an
unusual swelling of the streams, and
consequently there has been much ref
use washed into the lake. This refuse
will naturally float on the surface of
the lake, thus rendering that water
impure and unfit for consumption
when it is pumped at the cribs. Ty-
phoid is generally the result of either
the drinking of impure water or the
use of it in any way"