Evening star., 1905-08-26
STATUS OF TYPHOID
Cases Will Exceed Those of
Last Year.
HEALTH OFFICER TALKS
SOME NOT DIAGNOSED BY HIS
DEPARTMENT.
Many Reported as Existing Are Those
Told Of by Physicians Of
the City.
HEALTH OFFICER TALKS

1t is now certain that the present out
break the typhoid fever in Washington Will
exceed the maximum of last year. August
and September are generally regarded as
the typhoid months" The ma ximum
reached by the outbreak of 1904 was on
September 25, when 232 patients were un-
der treatment. While the outbreak of this
year really began in July, total of IN
cases being reported to the health ONCE
wit hin that month, the real severity OF the
disease which by this time is little less
than a epidemic, has been most marked IN
the twenty-six days of the present MONTH
Since August / 272 typhoid fever cases
have been reported to the health Office o1
the total numb ber 405, reported since July l.
2SS were still under treatment at ! cock
this afternoon Before the day Is ended
the health authorities are confident that at
least enough new cases will be brought 10
their attention to send the record lor 'ihs
year above the maximum OF l9o4
1--WE do not diagnose cases mere, YOU
know" said DIR. Woodward, the health oin-
Ger. today, in reply to the imputation pa ssed
by several local physicians. when In pup
ished interviews they said that tne cb p,eSb
ent typhoid scare had been very much
overrated In several of these interviews
the authenticity of the health ofhce recoros
of typhoid fever was attacked. the physl-
clans stating their belief that many OF the
cases reported were not typhoid fever at
all While he does not attempt to have MS
inspectors verify the diagnosis OF each ty-
phoid case, DIR. Woodward nevertheless
points out that the death rate alone in
July would seem to indicate that the ty
phoid reported in many cases Is not some
milder form of fever. AS stated 1874 cases
were reported during July of this year. In
one Of these the diagnosis was subsequently
changed and sixty-one of the patients are
still under treatment. Therefore. 1t Is OBJ
vious that only seventy-three of the 134
cases have finally been disposed of. and of
this number twenty-five have died. Taking
the whole 134 basis it will be seen
that the death rate Is already slightly over
.l6 per cent. as against IA per cent for all
of last year.
Excessive Death Rate.
II only the cases so far finally disposed
of were taken into consideration 1t will be
seen that the death rate far Is in excess
of 80 per cent, which the health Office re-
CARDS as extraordinarily high even for ty-
phoid fever. 1t Is regarded as probable
that several of the July cases still under
treatment will result fatally. so that the
death rate for the month cannot but be
high
OF the 272 cases for August sixteen have
died and the time is yet far distant when
the effects of the disease for the present
month will be definitely known. Altogether
since July l there have been only three
typhoid fever. The health office regards 1t
as almost certain that the number of cases
reported as typhoid fever which are not ty-
phoid fever would be more than offset by
the number OF typhoid patients who are
treated for malarial fever, and whose cases
are never reported for entry in the con-
tagious disease record.
Six new cases of typhoid fever were re-
ported to the health office today. Yester-
day, when The Stars report closed nine
new cases had been entered on the health
office record for the day. The health Of
fees afternoon mail brought in reports Of
seven more, making sixteen In all for Fri
day. Todays cases added to the previous
total makes 567 cases reported since jan
uary of this year. and 4o5 since July l.
that of Albert Preside an eleven-year-old
boy, who on Sunday last was taken to
Camp Good VIII by the Associated Chart
ties for a two weeks outing. He was taken
sick on Monday, and yesterday afternoon
the physicians pronounced his illness case
OF typhoid fever and he taken to the
Washington Asylum Hospital for treatment.
OF the typhoid sufferers in the District
about one-thrd of those under treatment
are in the different hospitals. This number
is distributed as follows: At Homeopat thic
Hospital. 5; at Garfield, IS; at Washington
Asylum Hospital, l; at Children's Hospita l..
3: at Sibley Hospital. A; at Providence Hos
pital. AZ; at George Washington University
Hospital. Il; at Georgetown University, Ill;
at Freedmen's Hospital q.