The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-12-11
INQUIRY IS
CONCLUDED


up the matter of thing the irrigation
bitches, and that The use of closed
garbage cans had been generally ad-
vocated by the members of this So
ciety.
DIR. Bradley said that among the
ource of infection, besides the flies
was eating vegetables irrigated from
the open sewer called an irrigation
ditch which flows through town and
into which all manner of things are
emptied. To greatly reduce the mum
Der of cases in Roswell, Mr.. Bradley
declared impossible SO long as we
have open closets exposed to The flies.
Physicians, he said. could only give
instructions, and could not either sup
ervise or compel obedience to their
instructions or advice.
DR.. Yater thought open water bar
rels were one cause of Infection, and
five cases in one neighborhood he hal
attributed to the milk supply from a
certain dairy. Germs were carried III
the dust by wind, ne said, in some
cases. He did not expect an epidemic
next year. The cases this year were
sporadic, not epidemic, and DR.. va
ter. as well as others testified tina
in a large per centage of cases the
patients had contracted the diseass
before coming to Roswell for treat
ment at the hospital or in the homes
of relatives. He stated that typhoid
germs would live through the winter
One of the worst epidemics he ever
heard of was caused by the use OF
ice made from impure water. Yater
pronounced DIR. Parsons article a fab
rication, a boomerang, and a few otn-
er things that we do not kaow now
to spell, AMI declared that no atten-
ton should have been paid TO it. He
thought the effect of such articles was
detrimental to business and would
tend to keep people away from the
town.
DR.. D. H. Galloway thought that 79
cases of typhoid fever from January
LIST to Dec. LIST was more than there
ought to be in Roswell, but four deaths
he considered a very low mortality
The people, even more than the phy,
sicians, he thought responsible for
spread of the disease by their care
lessness or negligence in obeying in
structions. Even n sanitary commit
tee of the city council could not make
people over. and a eve system is
about the only thing that would &C
complish much as an official precau-
ton. Nine-tenths of the contagion is
carried by flies, according TO Mr.. Gal
loway, and he always requires a prom
Use on the part of the family or nurse
to strictly obey his instructions before
he will take a case of typhoid fever.
After thorough disinfection he directs
that all excreta be buried and covered
in the earth so that there is nc posi-
bility of flies reaching it. Not a fly
must be allowed in the house" is one
of his instructions. and his nurses are
provided with fy-killers so that a sin
gle fly cannot long evade their vigi-
lance. He had supposed before this
investigation began that there had
been great negligence on the part of
physicians, to bring forth such charg-
es, but after hearing the testimony
he was gratified to learn that such
excellent Instructions mad been given
by the physicians of Roswell gener-
ally, and obeyed by those h had
testified. Typhoid he pronounced a
BILE, but not absolutely so. The 'foci"
or breeding ground of the disease in
Roswell he believed to be the old op-
en- closets in the alleys. Some of the
worst charges of DR. Parsons article
DR.. Galloway considered merely rhe-
torical. He said the medical profess
sion of the whole country was doing
all it could to eradicate tuberculosis,
but the laity has don nothing and
will do nothing. He could not answer
the Parsons article as a whole by say
ing that it was either T or false.
While, ordinarily, he would consider
the publication of such articles un-
wise, he believed that in this particular
instance the resulting investigation
would help every physician in Roswell
BIZ stirring up the people to the dan
ger of this disease. The general accu-