Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-08-23
TYPHOID SEASON
Time of Year When Fever Prevails
Physician Issues Note OF
Warning.
WATER SHOULD BE BOILED
Sewers Examined and Every AdVan
tage Taken of Infection-lncreas-
es From July to November.

Now is coming on the season when
behooves everyone TO be careful of
themselves and of their surroundings
and avoid, if possible. this disease
which is so justly dreaded. which it is
so hard to deal with and from which it
takes so long to recover. 1t is a dis
ease which is bound To take its course
when once its poison gets thoroughly
| introduced into patients system. and
all that the best physician can do is to
guide the disease.
Outside of the medical fraternity it
| is commonly believed that low or i'm
pure water, sewer gas and filth cause
| typhoid fever, but this is not wholly
true. a prominent physician of this
! city said the other day that the disease
does not spread directly and it is nee
essary that the specific typhoid poison
be incorporated into the impure or
ldecomposing matter "A case of ty-
phOid fever never occurs spontaneous
| ly, but is always due to a disease
germ originating from a previous case
of typhoid" he said.
Changes Outside Body.
while on the other hand" he CON
tinued. typhoid poison when leaving
a patient is not capable of producing
| typhoid fever Immediately, but must
first undergo certain changes outside
of the body in connection with decay
| ing organic matter, and it is keeping
away from this that each person must
make himself more secure from the
disease, and by allowing no decayed
or unwhOleSOme matter to remain on
his premises, he helps his neighbors to
keep clear from the disease" An i'm
properly constructed or poorly ventil-
ated sewer is conducive to the spread
| of the fever, for il needs but the in
corporation of the typhoid germ to
make it a germ center. few days
ago 4 man brought suit for $4,000
against a town in central Illinois be
cause it allowed its sewer to remain
open near his door and caused great
Of sickness in his family. If there is
suspicion that the drinking water has
| been contaminated, il can be made
pure by boiling, which many people
do. Precautions are always wise. but
especially at this time of the year,
and if everything is kept clean and
wholesome, should the typhoid germ
be imported. the locality would be far
more likely to remain non-infected
than had it a place I'm which it could
undergo the indefinite reproduction
necessary To give rise to typhoid fe-
yer.
Remains in Locality for Eenrs.
The physician quoted above also re
marked that those living in houses or
| localities where there had been typhoid
fever should be especially careful, as
it frequently prevails in the same To-
cality year after year. The germs are
of great vitality and it is not ALWAYS
certain that they have been eXtermin-
ated after a siege of fever, and hence
! II IS the more necessary to use extra
caution under such circumstances.
Typhoid is known as an autumnal fe-
yer. as il shows a decided prediction
for the autumn. 1t increases from
July TO November and the intensity of
the disease is generally greater the la
ter II begins. Also il is more Dreva-
| lent after hot and dry summer than
one which has been cold and wet. II
is confined almost entirely to early
adult life or the ages from 10 to 30
and is found among the rich and Door
alike, but as though in order to show
its power, it attacks by preference
the strong and healthy.