The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-06-12
mid The Price of Negligence
'O' ~ FREDERIC ]. HASKIN

! repairs. There were at the time two
cases of typhoid fever near the pump
ing station. In short time there
were between 1900 and 1900 cases of
typhoid fever in Butler.
For long time it was centended that
water in streams purified itself every
few miles. The absurdity of this the
DRY was demonstrated so frequently
that ii finally became patent to both
Iaymen and physicians that il was based
| largely upon Imagination. Excellent
proof of its falsity was given when it
was observed that an increase in the
number of reported cases of typhoid fe-
YER in one Massa chusetts city. nine
miles down the Merrmac river from
another place, invariably followed an
epidemic in the upstream city FINALLY
the lower place installed filter plant
and the upper one sought new source
of water supply. with the result that
the percentage of typhoid fever cases
To total population was reduced to
minimum in both Washington health
authorities recognize the danger from
distant sources of infection. and when
an epidemic of fever broke out three
wears ago in Mt. Savage, Md, one hun
dred miles up the Potomac, Washing
tonians were warned to boil their drink
ing water.
Concerning the economy OF municipal
filtration there can he no dispute, but
building a plant i'm the average Ameri~
can city takes time. Although d city
OF 100000 inhabitants may be paying
out annually for treatment Of typhoid
fever no less than $1,000,000, $4,000,
900 filter plant is looked upon by the
average citizen as unwarrantahle eX-
travagance. and even after the ohi6c
tions of the ma iority are overcome, and
the work Of installing the plant is un.
deTtakcn there are many delays, and
period of several Years elapses before
the filter is in operation. In tho mean
time typhoid fever and other intestinal
troubles take their toll IN life and
cause continual suffering and expense
Health officers try IN vain TO impress
upon the people the danger of drink
ing whatever liquid quenches their
thirst without pauslng to consider
whether il is contaminated.
Ii is impossible to accurately esti-
mate how many cases of typhoid fever
occur in the United States during
year, as several causes contribute
toward making reports unreliable
When the disease is prevalent countless
cases that do not prove fatal are re
ported. through error OF because of
desire TO avoid an ugly looking health
report as E'malarial fever or some
other disease. Fer this reason the es,
Inmates of the number of deaths, and
Of the cost of treatment. can only he
based upon the reported eases,
IF every city and town would hlter
its water, and every householder IN the
country would see TO II that his water
supply was from q pure source, typhoid
fever would become extinct IN the
course of few years. But 1T Will
doubtless be long time before even
all of the larger cities filter their wa
ter, and in the meantime ii behooves
each individual TO guard so far as pos,
sible against drinking water OF mix
of questionable purity. 1t should he
horne in mind that tine germs OF typhoid
fever float in the smallest quantity Of
liquid. Lettuce watered from a CON
taminated source, and even milk cans
washed with impure water. have been
discovered TO he the direct cause oil
cpidcmics.