Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-07-25
CITY WATER INDICTED
DR.. Devine Charges City Water
as Cause of the Typhoid
Epidemic
SPEAKS FOR ALL PHYSICIANS

physicians SroVe TO his Satisfaction
That Sudden Infection in the Cit,
Water Caused Our Epidemic-Soms
of Hoffman's Data Refuted.
AS the result of a personal suggestion
from the editor and the public invita-.
ton made in these columns for the
I physicians of the city to give our re.
cent typhoid epidemic more than pass
ing notice, to complete TIE investigation
where Hoffman failed or to correct the
statements If Hoffman erred, DR.. w. S
Devine has spent some Two weeks time
mits the following communication. He
claims to have interviewed twenty
three physicians and to have their sup
port in what he says. His letter reads
Editor mes-Republican: Now that
the expert psychologists and chemists
have made their reports on the sanitary
condition Of our city, and are INDUCING
in little controversy as to whether one
lone bacilli was found or not, as prac-
tcing physician. having the welfare of
my neghbor in mind and an eye open
as to the best methods to ward off those
conditions which from time to time
threaten his general health, prostrating
| him needlessly on a bed of sickness,
breaking home ties, blightng and sad
dening the future of many young lives,
piling UP debts and destroying business
prospects, I want to place before the
public certain conditions which for the
present seemingly have been lost sight
of. and in doing this hope to stimulate
activity in remedial measures, which
will forever avert such another ca
lamity.
In the first place, it will be neces-
sary to state that it Is the universal
rule that where there has been an cpl
dernic form of typhoid fever that it has
been caused by contaminated water
supply, and by a contaminated water
mean contaminated by the typhoid
bacillus. for this bacillus is the only
bacillus that causes typhoid fever and
1t must get into the intestinal track in
some way. Incidentally. there are vari
Gus ways in which this may come about
without seeming to drink such water.
You may rinse lettuce, berries and
water. you may wash and rinse utensils
for house use for holding and conveying
milk, or by stepping to the hydrant or
well with tooth-cup and brush, scrub
your teeth and become victim of ty-
phoid Infection. all the while declaring
that you drink nothing but boiled wa
ter. Surface or shallow wells may be
contaminated by surface washings, by
barn-yard excreta, by decomposition of
animal matter. such as the carcass of a
cat, rabbit or rat, causing inevitable
bowel troubles, such as diarrhna, dys-
entery, gripping pains and prostration.
but not typhoid fever.
There are causes and media other
than the water which may and do fur
Their promote the spread of the disease,
as was demonstrated during the Span
ish- American war at the camps in
Jacksonville by flies swarming on the
|excreta in the open privy bitches where
excreta' of typhoid patients were de-
posted, then alighting on food to BE-
eaten by the soldiers. Fortunately,
Marshalltown had no flies in March.
Spoons, drinking and feeding cups
soiled linen, urinals, bed-pans, unclean-
" thermometer-all these modes of in
lection the physician is familiar with
and cautions against when called. This
much in passing over the general con-
ditions surrounding typhoid fever, with
which all physicians are familiar.
I'm looking thru the reports of the ex-
perts who arrived some ten weeks after
the typhoid fever started, they claim at
that time it would be presumptious to
give an opinion as to what caused the
epidemic of fever, and yet their report
as to the unsanitary conditions of the
city argues nothing at the start of this
epidemic. The unsanitary conditions
are no worse than exist in other cities
land certainly no worse than exist here
today, for nothing has been done to
change the conditions. Even the High
berger case gives no light. The first
case which was taken down in this
family was on the 26th OF April-a
month and half after the epidemic
began. The experts leave the impress
sion in the minds of some that the epi-
demic of fever was due to these I'M
sanitary conditions, including the
6airies, the shallow wells, the privy
Vaults. the dead end mains and the
careless physicians, also. that prior to
March IL there already existed forty
cases Of typhoid fever. to which will
prefer express denial later on. To pre-
sent the situation from the standpoint
of the physicians of the city, will cali
your attention to the following. and in
doing so l know 1 have the undivided
support and approval Of the entire pro-
fession. with whom I have conversed
oE this subject individually and collect
lively ! have obtained the facts l pre-
sent to the public from the physicians
themselves, having seen in all twenty
three now in active practice and OBJ
tanned the following from them:
Prior to March 1, 1908, there had
been treated in the entire city seven
cases of typhoid, one on Aug. Is on
Arson street, one on Sept. 20 on South
First street. one on Sept. % on May
street. one on Nov. 10 on South Sixth
avenue one on Nov. % Oh Arson street,
one on Feb. 8, 1908. on May street. and
one on March s on North First street,
since 1901, and they are the only cases
known to physicians during that time,
not referring to the epidemic of 1893.
In all fairness this should dispose of the