Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-11

mortality from typhoid fever in this city
since the filter plant was put into use to
The filter plant. in their judgment Is In no
way responsible for the continued high ty-
phoid mortality. The Engineering News
agrees with that view Of the case.
Mr.. Horizons study Of conditions here
showed that twelve per cent of the cases
examined by him were imported, ffty-fiye
per cent were among the poorer c,ass. thir-
ty per cent among the middle class and
only three per cent among the wealthy
class"
He made another classification between
white and colored population, showing that
while the colored population Is only one
tality of colored people from typhoid fever
was twice that of the whites.
Mr.. Horton found the archaeological eff
cheney of the filtration plant to be good.
After passing through the three reservoirs
Potomac water shows reduction of about
93 per cent IN the number of bacteria con-
tanned In the raw water when 1t Is taken
from the river. This Is confirmed by the diff
ference between the prevalence of typhoid
when the Washington city reservoirs were
in use. and when they were not in use. This
comparison shows the effect OF publication
by subsistence upon the general typhoid
fever death rate Of the District The eff
cheney Of the filters in reducing bacteria Ii
"a per cent of the applied water and 900
per cent Of the raw water In the latter
case the removal is practically complete.
Such completeness Of removal of bacteria
has seldom been effected. Tests have shown
that the colon bacilli are reduced in num-
Der in passing through the filter at about
the same rate as other bacilH
Efficiency CT Filters.
.In BRIEF" says Mr.. Horton, 80 COM
pletely do these records show a high degree
Of efficiency of the filters and high purity
OF the water now supplied to the District.
that they may be taken as very strong evil
dan thokt 49, 1 =
fever cannot be attributed, In any apprecia-
BILE degree, to the quality of the water sup
ply"
Mr.. Horton then reviews the nature Of
the food supplies consumed In the District
Although the health department looks after
the milk supply, he concludes that milk has
an appreciable effect upon the typhoid fever
conditions in the District Shell fsh also
contribute to the typhoid fever cases. he
says. Vegetables, fruits and berries not
being gathered and kept at a.. times in a
Clearly manner, are also responsible for q
part of the typhoid fever.
He does not regard the wells Of the city
as prominent source of typhoid. He be-
heves. however, that these wells should be
abandoned.
Mr.. Horton says his inquiries Into ty-
| phoid conditions In other cities in the south
show that there has been a general in
crease During August and September 1906,
| the number of typhoid cases at Atlanta and
Norfolk was greater than In those months
during both 1904 and 1905 combined. At
Cumberland there Is as much typhoid fever
this year as during two previous years
combined In Maryland, generally, there
has been an increase In typhoid fever.
General Decrease Shown.
| He states that from 1890 to the present
year there has been gradual decrease
| In typhoid fever cases In the District of
| Columbia The reasons for this have been
| q publication OF the water supply by SUBJ
| sidence in one or more storage reservoirs,
| decrease In the number OF public wells,
supervision OF milk suppky, general i'm