The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-08-13
TYPHOID CARRIERS.
How Well People Sometimes Spread
 the Dread Disease Unknowingly.

the Dread Disease Unknoyving1y.
 Some persons who have had typhoid fever continue to harbor the baclli for varying periods after their recov- cry. Such persons ,who have been named ''carriers" constitute from IT per cent. up to per cent. of all pa- tients. The seriousness of this fact and its bearigs on sanitary regulations and precautions of all kinds are brought out in an editorial article in The Journal of the American Medical Association. Says this paper:
 "The length of time that this con- ditioH may last is at present mat ter of speculation only. The most ex- trema1 case thus far reported is one who had had typhoid fever thirty years previously and still harbored typhoid bacili. Such cases are known as chronic carriers to distinguish them from the acute carriers, who show the presence of typhoid bacilli in the discnarges for snort periods of time only. The first very striking history of 8 chronic carrier was re- ported about two years ago by Kay of the subsequent instances, there had been a series of strictly localized outbreaks of typhoid fever, which could not be accounted for in any of the ordinary ways. The infection was finally traced to a woman baker, who had had the disease ten years pre- victously. ss Kyser eported another epidemic, which was due to infected milk, the carrier in this in- stance. being engaged in the milk trade and causing infection of seven teen persons. Friedel's case was that of an insane woman. who prepared salads and vegetables for the other inmates of the asylum, She proved to be a typhoid carrier, although no history of an attack of the disease could be obtained. Probably the most brilliant case is seper's woman cook. . - This woman, during less than i've years tiEne--the complete history could not be ohtained--had caused southreaks of typhoid fever in seven households, the number of cases az gregating twenty-six.
 '.The most recent addition to the literature of the typhoid-carr Is an article by Scheller, recounting an in. vestigation into the conditions on a large estate in Prussia, where typhoid fever had been endemic for fourteen years. During this time thirty-two cases of typhoid fever had occurred among the one hundred and eighty persons living on the estate. By caro- fuI study of the conditions the focus of infection was finally decided to be the dairy of the proprietor, practI- cally all the victims having used milk from 1t. A woman employed in the dairy had suffered from typhoid fever seventeen years previously. The number of cases that were traced to her, thirty-two, is the largest thus far credited to any single carrier.
 There was a surprisingly large number of carriers found by scheller, not less than eighteen among the forty persons who drank the milk of this dairy. and only i've of these had ever had typhoid fever. All, however. ex- proved to he only temporary carriers and yielded readily to treatment. while the latter continued to harbor bacilli even after rigorous measures had been employed. The great majority of car- riers thus far reported have been wo- Ynen
 There Is probably nothing In the field of municipal sanitation which of- fers so difficult problem as this. Obviously we have not begun to solve the question of prophylaxis when we insist on disinfection. during the period of illness only. The matter becomes still more complicated through the discovery of typhoid car riers who have no history of ever having had the disease. Such persons probably harbor the bacilli only for short periods of time. yet during that time they are a menace to their neighbors. The evidence points to the proba biIity that many who come into close contact with cases of ty- phoiT fever become temporary car rIers, but, having no symptoms of the disease, they take no precautions. Against such carriers no prophylactic measures can be taken.
 Perhaps the most important Ies- son to be learned from these inves- tigations Is the folly of neglecting municipal hygiene. A long protracted retribution awaits that city which has allowed typhoid fever to become en- demic in it's midst. Such a city as Pittsburg, for instance. must contain hosts of typhoid carriers. and these will doubtless continue to visit the sins of the fathers upon the children, long after the city's water supply has been purified.