New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-12-01
DEALING WITH TYPHOID FEHER.

The town of Butler. Penn, is having far
more trying experience with typhoid fever than
any college town has had during the last year,
except, perhaps, Ithaca. Within ten weeks
there have been about thirty deaths, while the
number of cases of sickness is variously put at
1000 and 1900. The diversity Of these figures
shows that they are mere estimates, and are
not based on exact enumeration. Although
uncertainty on this point justifes a hope that
the trouble is not so extensive as has been an
nounced, the exigency will make a powerful
appeal TO public sympathy. If other and larger
places in the Keystone State are not able to
supply the nurses, physicians and money which
Butler needs, relief will certainly be offered by
more distant cities. Meantime the outlook is
improved by the discovery of the cause of the
outbreak. There have been cases on farm
not many miles from town, and drainage from
the land was permitted to reach one of the
streams on which Butler depended for her
water supply.
When smallpox or diphtheria becomes cpl
demic, a considerable share of the later attacks
may be traced to the earlier ones in the same
community. With typhoid fever a larger pro-
portion of the whole number are usually due to
single cause, like contaminated water, where
the trouble has arisen days or weeks before its
first effects are observed. OF course, it will not
do to neglect the precaution of diSinfection in
the sickrOom, but there is a reasonable GER
tainty that this will be taken if a competent
physician is in attendance. Danger, however,
continues as long the origin Of the outbreak
remains undetected, because no one knows pre-
cisely what safeguards to adopt in the matter
Of diet
After the truth has been ascert8ined control
OF the situation should be easy. If the water is
70 ha hill Lat
Unless the right sort of filter is employed, it
is not to be trusted. Where milk, oysters or
other food supplies have made mischief sales
from the same source can be peremptOrily sus
pended. If an eating house comes under
picion Of such bad management that it can be-
come a focus Of contagiOn, patronage should
be bestowed elsewhere until the belief proves
to be unfounded or a radical improvement has
been wrought Most of these measures need
be Of short duration, except the correction of
any trouble with a water supply. Still, it would
be pity to have the matter dropped too quick
ly when the immediate occasion for anxiety is
over. If, as often happens, the contamination
comes from some point outside of the locality
which suffers most and if the personal respon-
sbiity for it can be fixed, some sort of prose-
cution might have a Salutary effect. Epidemics
that have cost many lives have often been
traced to a carelessness which is almost crimi-
nal. This is certainly manslaughter in broad
sense, if not technically so.
One of the most puzzling questions relative TO
typhoid which the medical profession has been
obliged to consider relates to the continuance
of precautions against infection after victim
has recovered. Formerly it was taken for
granted that there was no occasion for anxiety
about other people after n sufferer from this
disease got well. Latterly there has been rea-
son to think that bacilh remain in the system of
the patient for months after convalescence sets
in. In view of that fact, it might be judiclous
for doctor in dismissing a typhoid case to ad-
wise q continuance of the use of dsinfectants
and the observance of other practices which
would minimize risk.