Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1905-11-08

| onle H'ealth
Club
:, DAv WI 7 ! !. aRk a:!! 81 =. =. ~
TYPHOID I:'I:', J; FEVER Il

~
were appalling. II ,..,.. Ri. .=.:
In the case of herself and husband
the Home Health club methods OF treat |
ment were carefully followed, and they
both made complete recovery in a short
time, but they at once moved to town
where there was pure water and good
sewerage. The sickness had cost them
1900 in money besides the loss Of valua-
BILE time. i. 80 s..
In view of the fact that this Is the
season Of the year when the disease is
most prevalent, think q few remarks
on the financial side Of the question by
Or. Victor Vaughan, of the University Of
Michigan, as given in the New York In
dependent, are pertinent.
Eve have $4,000 deaths annually from
typhoid fever, and we know how to pre-
vent these deaths. Why do we not do
1t? 1t is estimated that the life of the
average adult is worth to the state
$1,000. If young man of from 20 to Is
years of age loses his life, it will cost
$1,000 to raise another up to the same
age and am sure that any father who
is engaged in the pleasurable occupation
OF raising family of boys will deny
that it can be done SO cheaply. But on
this estimate, this government is losing
$4,000 times $1,000, or Sc, 000, 900 annu-
ally in deaths from typhoid fever. This
Is not all typhoid fever is costing us. For
every death from this disease, at leas;
ten other people are sick with it. Five
hundred thousand people who do not die
are sick each year with typhoid fever.
We will suppose that the average dura-
ton of the sickness is % days, and ali
physicians will agree that this estimate
is too low. The person who has typhoid
fever Is often unable to resume his yo
cation within shorter time thsta
three months. However, We will make
our estimate on the supposition that
the average time lost from work by a
man SICK with this disease amounts to
100000 times 20 days, or '% 14,O60,,O0o
days, which is equivalent to more
than 1856 years. Supposing that the
time OF the individual is worth so cents
pei, Gay when he is well; this repre-
sents an actual loss of 37,00O,O00 annu~
ally, and this should be doubled, be-
cause for every person sick the time
OF another person who acts as nurse is
demanded. The $14.O00,00O added to
the $50,O00,000 which are lost by death
makes a total sum of $4,000, 900, or
about one dollar for every inhabitant,
the annual tribute levied upon this ma
t1on by the one disease, typhoid fever.
This represents approximately the
amount which We pay every year for
the ignorance and carelessness which
we exercise in allowing this preventa-
bic disease to prevail among US.
II have said that typhoid fever is a
rreventable disease, and that the large
! number of deaths from this disease is
unnecessary. This is true, not only
theoretically, but practical demonstra-
lions are not wanting. Prior to 1859,
Tie city of Munich, in Bavaria, was d
vcritable hotbed of typhoid fever.
There were no sewers and no public
water supply. Most Of the houses were
furnished with large brick or wooden
fues, which were built from the cellar
up through the different floors. Intu
| these the excretions from the body
were dropped and accumulated in the
cellars. Other waste material was de
| posted in cesspools and garbage was
thrown into back yards. The air in
the houses was foul and offensive to
the sense of smell. The drinking wa
ter was taken from shallow wells il
| the yards, and these often received the
| ooze from the cesspools and vaults. IL
| 1S5? the citizens were compelled to
seal tightly the bottoms and sides OF
these receptacles of filth, and, later
a system of sewerage was introduced
and later still supply of wholesome
drinking water was obtained. Not
! withstanding the fact that portions OF
the city still remained unsewered Al
the time of the last report, the results
have been most gratifying. From 1856;
to 1859, the typhoid deaths per 100;
in Munich averaged 24.2. This has
heen gradually decreased until, in 1884
] II was Ia per 1000.
This shows what has been done il
an old and crowded city, and Vienna
has practically repeated the demon
STATIONS made by Munich The ma.
jority Of cases of typhoid fever arise:
from contaminated water That q
/ drinking water infected with the dis
charges Of person sick with typhoit
fever may cause an epidemic of thu
disease there can no longer be any
| doubt The records of sanitary sci
ence abound in histories of such cases
Every physician of large experience
with this disease can detail one OF
more instances in which the disease
has been clearly traced to infected wa
ter, and will consider that this meth
Oh of the dissemination of the diseas;
is recognized by all 1t probably Is :
safe estimate to say that bad drinking
water causes not less than 10000
deaths each year in this country"
! q ~, CLUB NOTES.
AlIerton.-Dr. David III. Reeder. La.
! porte, Ind.-Dear Doctor: I have a
growtl, in my neck, just to the left al
the larynx. When I first discovered 1t
/ over three years ago, it was about the
size CT a dime, now it is nearly as
/ large around as dollar. During thu
last year it has grown quite fast. It is
round in shape It docs not hurt me,
but when I wear tigh. collar 1t gives
me choking sensation. Do you think
It can be q goiter, and what treatment