The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-08-02
SOURCE OF TYPHOID.
Means by which Men May Guard
Against Infection.


many American cities and towns) that |
one may eat and drink it, but he cam
not breathe it. Experience estab-
fishes this as a general truth.
While typhoid attacks persons of all
ages, it's greatest fatality is among
this in the prime of life. The period of
maximum susceptibility seems to be
between the ages of IS and As. This,
however, may be less of a paradox
than it appears to be. Vigorous
persons in the prime of life are, per-
haps. less prudent than the young are
required to be. They indulge in
more excuses and incur greater risks
i'll exposure to weakening influences.
S. Good general health is the
best safeguard known or imaginable
against typhoid; and it should not be
forgotten that general good health is
inconsistent with imprudence in habit
or diet.
Undoubtedly the most frequent cause
of typhoid fever is found in polluted
drinking water. Generally speaking
the protection of water supply Is
beyond. the power of the individual;
but even polluted water may be per-
fectly sterilized by the simple ex-
pedient of boiling it. Care must be
taken, however, to protect it from sub
seQuent contamination. The cooling
which is necessary to render 1T agree
able to the taste should not be done
with ice added to it and permitted to
mingle with it in melting, unless the
purity of the ice is assured. wall
of clean glass between the boiled wa
ter and the ice which cools it is pru-
dent
Why the very general use of boiled
water does not safeguard more homes
against typhoid invasion than it APP
pears to is probably due to the fact
that it is not used exclusively. There
is almost certain to be carelessness in
the kitchen, however great the degree
of care in the dining room. The wash
ing of green vegetables in water from
the tap, and it's addition to food prep
arations served uncooked, will often
carry the germs to the most scrupu-
lousy guarded table. If the water
supply of a house is known to be pol
luted it should be treated like any
other poison. Bottled waters may or
may not be safe. 1t depends partly
upon what they are filled with and
partly upon how the empty bottles are
cleansed between refillings Since the
consumer car know very little about
this, however curiously he may inquire,
he may feel more confidence in water
he has boiled and properly cooled than
in a supply which must be taken
largely on faith.
Danger in Milk.
Milk is in many respects the most
dangerous article of food which comes
into the well-ordered dwelling. In
Vulnerable epidemics of typhoid fever
have been traced to it. The normal
| condition Of the milk of commerce is
that of swarming with bacteria. Gen
orally speaking, 1t should never be
| used unsterilized. The process known
as pasteurization, by which it is heated
to 1853 or 100 degrees, is the simplest
and safest. In no other way than by
heat can a household which receives
a daily supply of milk be safeguarded
against typhoid fever.
| The same is true of sea food. Since 1t
| is impossible to know the immediate
source of shellfish purchased in the
| market, their use uncooked may be
properly discouraged. The sanitary
literature on this subject is voluminous
| and convincing. Indeed, there are very
few things which may be eaten. raw
with immunity from the Immediate
danger OF typhoid infection. DR.. w.
| T. SedgWick, professor of bacteriology
in the Massachusetts, Institute of Tech
| nology, says with great force and at
| tractive brevity: Nothing is more
certain in sanitary science than that
1 cookery, which by the use of heat de-
stroys parasites, including bacteria, is
] of the very highest hygienic value"
Flies are industrious agents In the
| dissemination of the secondary infec-
ton of typhoid fever. After wander
| ing about all sorts of unclean places
and picking up bacteria they come in
| at open windows and doors and salts
| fly their pampered appetites by visits
to the food prepared for the family. A
| fly in the butter may be assumed to
leave behind him, if he gets away,
whatever parasitic heterogeneous he
carried on his feet and legs, or to plant
| them there if he does not. The fly Is
also the agent of a more direct con-
veyance of typhoid bacilli in the
spreading of secondary infection. He
| has a fondness for lighting on the lips
| of persons, sick or well, as may be,
and every human being INDUCES more
or less in the habit of wetting the lips
with the tongue. In this way what
! the fly leaves behind him may be taken
UP. by the saliva and passed directly
into the alimentary canal there to do
whatever mischief may be it's normal
| function. To be effectually safeguard
ed against typhoid fever one must keep
| flies. mosquitoes and all other insects
out of his house and away from his
| persons.
Germs ON Hands,.
Digital infection is recognized as one
| of the many ways in which typhoid
fever is carried to persons capable of
avoiding other exposure. From balus-
trades, doorknobs, the hand-rails OF
those who cannot get seats and from
| a thousand other things which one
may touch and usually thinks he may
touch and not be defiled, he may get
the bacilli on his fingers, and however
| neat and careful he may be the path
| from finger to the intestinal canal is
| usually that of "least resistance"
DIR. Bayles concludes, therefore, that
complete immunity from typhoid infec-
| ton demands IAN impossible vigil
| lance" Life would scarcely be worth
the trouble and anxiety required to OBJ
| make immunity from attack certain
But comparison of the typhoid death
| rates in American and European cities
shows that wise measures of municipal
improvement, chiefly in the filtration
of the water supply. the regulation OF
the milk traffic and other simple ex-
pedients, will reduce the dangers OF
typhoid infection to a minimum. An
epidemic of ii in any city or town
like that of Ithaca last winter, is evil
! dence of negligence. Dealt with by the
local authorities in a large way ty-
| ,Loid &c declared fo he ssona IF fba