Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-15
SEARCHING FOR CAUSE
HEALTH OFFICE INVESTIGATING
TYPHOID FEVER CONDITIONS.

probably contaminated condition Of Poto-
mac water, even after filtration. as result
Of the comprehensive search by the experts
Of the public health and marine hospital
service. for the cause of the spread Of ty-
phoid fever in the District, which was ex-
clusively noted In The Evening Star Mon
day. the local authorities have determined
to embark on campaign Of inquiry into
all other possible sources of the disease.
Among other things numerous inquiries
have ben directed to the Commissioners and
to the health Office regarding the possible
tiles of the city milk supply being me-
dunn for carrying the fever germs, and to-
day Commissioner West directed a series
of questions to Health Officer Woodward
with a view to ascertaining the exact con-
dition of milk as 1t comes into the District.
+ While in the country a few days ago
Mr.. West noticed what he has since term
ed as an unsavory condition in connection
with the water furnished one herd Of cat
tie to drink. and the possibility of water
contaminated with typhoid germs being
swallowed by cows and thus being trans
mitted to the milk and to the people who
use 1t is one of the problems he has asked
the health officer to solve. The particular
case he noted, the Commissioner said to-
Gay. was one where sluggish brook was
moving through a meadow, SO that after
long usage 1t had become filthy; and yet
the animals had that same water to drink
and the liquid must ultimately become an
integral part of the milk.
Watch Kept on Supply.
In connection with the regular inspection
work Of the health department close watch
Is kept upon the milk supply, both before
and after 1t reaches the city, and any I'M
of nhnid ofh In
fictitious disease on any one milk route is
the immediate signal for a careful examina-
tor of all conditions obtaining on the dairy
farm or farms from which the dairyman
draws his daily supplies. The waters in
which milk cans are washed have come in
for observation. but the suggestion that the
cattle themselves may absorb the harmful
germs OPENS a new field of inquiry The
health officer was asked to describe any con-
ditions similar to those observed by Com
missioner West on the 900 or more dairy
farms from which milk is shipped each day
to the District.
Some lite application Of the announce
ment In The Star that the marine hospital
service experts had found Potomac water
not to be as pure as 1t was hoped filtration
would make 1t, was furnished by Commits
sioner West today when he said that he
had been unof1cially informed that the city
water supply had been found to be in bad
condition. THE formal report on results
accomplished in. the special work done by
the marine hospital SERVICE" Mr.. West
continued, probably will not be published
for several days. but 1t was intimated that
the city water is contaminated to a consid-
cradle extent
Questions Propounded.
The series of questions asked Of the health
office today by Mr.. West included the fol-
lowing:
How many dairy farms supply milk in
the District of Columbian"
How many Of these farms have been
visited by inspectors since the LIST of April
last and what are the total number of
visits?"
In how many cases has the water sup
ply for the cattle on these farms been ex-
amined and the water analyzed?'
In how many cases has the water been
shown to be contaminated"
In how many cases has the milk been
analyzed?"
I'm how many cases has the milk been
shown to be below the standard?"
Does the milk analyses made by the
health department include colonies Of bac-
teria,' and, If so, is a record thereof keptT'
r: The health Office typhoid record today
shows that only five new cases were re-
ported within the past twenty-four hours,
as against ten during the same period last
year. The total of cases reported for the
year is $50 August Is, 1905, 1856 cases had
been reported.