Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-07-17
EXPERTS again At VAR.
Botanist at Ames Says Hoff-
man Was Unscientific-Dr.
Grimes Replies
SAYS BoTANlsT DOESN'T KNOW
BacterioIosist of State Board of Health
Sets Forth "lncontrovertible" Evil
dence of Hoffman's Report-H offman
Admits That Crane Found Clerical
Error Which He Did Not See.

Error Which He Did Not See.
The battle of the experts over the
epidemic conditions will not end. An
Ames news despatch in Thursday morn
ing's Register and Leader, of Des
Moines, contained an alleged criticism
from DR.. Pammel a botanist at the
state college. 1t reads as follows:
In conversation with Dr. l.. II. Pam
mel, talk turned to the subject of the
statements recently published by DR..
Hoffman on the Marshalltown typhoid
case when he asserted that typhoid ba-
high school. Dr. Pammel said: ''Ty-
phoid bacilli are extremely difficult to
find in water, the number of times that
they have been found being few and
very far between. Several authors
have supposed they found the germ, but
in the majority of cases they We're deal
ing with another organism. Authority
for this statement is given not only in
the general literature on the question,
but by the most recent authors of text
books on the subject, such as Abbott
and Muir and Richie, all well known
and recognized as careful and conserv
ative in their statements.
1T is unfortunate such sensational
statements have been widely published,
which DIR. Hoffman made. and they
n IN ipu ion
tons. No doubt the conditions in Mar
shalltown warrant cleaning up in some
respects, and certain it is that typhoid
can be prevented if the laws of ordin-
airy hygiene can be enforced. But in the
case at Marshliltown it is possible that
the organism discovered was some
thing else besides the typhoid bacil-
lus. Regarding the work of DR.. Weems,
there can be no doubt that what he
said can be accepted as correct, the
result of careful consideration, and can
be depended upon
The above stirred the fighting blood
of DR.. Grimes, Pathologist and Bacteri-
ologist to the state board of health,
who had been associated with DIR.
Hoffman in the work of investigation at
Marshalltown and late Thursday after
noon the T.-R. was notified from Des
Moines that Dr. Grimes had the follow
ing reply on the way:
Editor Times Republican: This
Register and Leader contains
some comments on the reports of the
investigation. The COM
menter designates the report is I'M
scientific ana sensational and questions
the bacillus isolated from the
water tank of the high school building
was that of typhoid fever. q
The statements of the commenter are
in that he tries to discredit
the findings of DR.. Hoffman, without
adducing any proof whatever, and ne
bases them on general propositions. 1t
is not unscientific and sensational to
report facts.
The incontrovertible facts as set
forth in that report We're:
/. The defects of the city water sup
ply.
2. The contamination of surface
webs.
3. The unhygienic conditions of some
of the dairies.
4. Insufficient ventilation of the
school buildings.
5. Contamination of water tank in
high school building, isolation of bacil-
lus, etc.
6. Violation Of health regulation,
governing sale of milk.
Z. Improper and insufficient care
about disinfection of excreta.
s. Neglect of privy vaults, etc.
All statements require at least GER
tain number of facts to substantate
them. The scientific commenter has,
however, overlooked these; he adduces
no reason whatever, why the germ
could not have been in the tank. On
the other hand there is evidence there
was reason for 1t being there. We nave
a ventilation pipe, discharging part or
IFS foul contents into a room In which
we have an exposed water tank The
has evidently not seen DR..
Hoffman's detailed report, as he adj
1uces no facts that the bacillus isolated
hy him from bile salt broth on gelatine
and which yielded lactus lltmus
bouillion, no gas; yielded on glucose
pelatine bouillion, no gas; produced
acid on litmus milk. but did not coag-
ulate litmus milk bouillion culture Oh
which. became turbid but yielded no
Indol and which gave positive reac-
ton with the serum of typhoid fever
patient was not the bacillus OF
typhoid fever. 80
The germ has been frequently $50
lated from water tanks. AT lndepeno-
ence, a few years ago 1t was founa IN
one of the water tanks OF the STATE
institution by Doctors Brody, Berrihs
and others T..
There was an error (stenographic) IN
the report; it should have been cnlio-
rem between the ages of to il years.
instead of IA to IS years.
f. G. GRIMES, NJ. D.,
Pathologist and Bacteriologist TO state
Board of Health.
DR.. Hoffman, when in Marshalitown
admitted that Superlnteha-
ent Cranes criticism of an error IN ms
report was well taken, for he dld not
intend to claim that all of the LOO cases
from the schools were out OF the hlsh
school building. Hoffman had the same
detailed report that Crane had ana
when shown that his report TO the couh-
ell read 'l66 children between the ages