The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-07-19

General Wyman.
Passed Assistant Surgeon Norman
Roberts has been detailed by the Sur
geon General 10 assist the typhoid board
In its investigation into local conditions
In cooperation with Health officer
Woodward. This was made public yes
terday In a statement issued by Surgeon
General Wyman.
The work OF the board promises to re-
suit In a material step toward the ellmi-
nation Of typhoid fever from Washing
ton, and the city viii be canvassed in
an effort 70 discover whether any cases
Of typhoid exist unknown 70 physicians.
All undiagnosed cases Of fever viii be
thoroughly examined by the HYGIENE
Laboratory. This work already has been
in progress several days. The report. in
a general discussion Of the subject,
says:
In spite OF the many sanitary advan-
tages OF Washington typhoid fever RACES
here year after year. Usually il declines
when cooler weather comes. but in the
summer time II prevails very largely,
reaching its height usually in August.
With the approval Of the Secretary
Of the Treasury and at the request OF
the Commissioners OF the District. the
Surgeon General Of the Public Health
and Marine Hospital Service appointed
a board in the summer OF 1906 70 inves-
ugate the causes OF the disease in
Washington.
Danger in Milk.
Infected milk was shown 10 be re-
sponsible for a considerable part OF
the total number OF cases. and a stiII
larger percentage was due TO contact
infection or could not be traced by
any means at the command Of the
board. Now, contact infection means
simply that the patient has caught the
disease from another patient, or In
other words, that the organism causing
the disease has been transferred direct
from the sick 70 the healthy persons.
In America. the element OF con
tagiOn' IN the transmission Of typhoid
fever has not been fully appreciated,
because in the country as a whole.
there have been so many cases OBJ
yiOusly due 10 infected milk and wSter
that the recognition OF the cont act
cases is made difficult
The Importance Of contact was en-
phasized, however. during the third
annual conference of State and Terri
torial health officers with the Public
Health and Marine Hospital Service in
1906 By DR.. Victor c. Vaughan. Of the
University 81 Michigan He had been
one Of the members Of the commission
appointed in 1888 to investigate the or
| igin and spread OF typhoid fever in the
United Sta.es military camps during
the Spanish-American war. As a result
OF these Investigations il was shown
J that personal contact was responsible
for 65 2-3 per cent OF the total cases
studied among the military forces.
Transmitted by Contact.
In Germany. where in many cities
| the water is good and the milk boiled,
| It has been shown that the disease is
I transmitted almost entirely BY contact
I Under these circumstances, it would
/ seem that the Germans have an easy
task In eradicating the disease from
/ these places; but in spite Of German
( skill and scientific thorOughness, with
a patenal government supporting the
I sanitarians to the utmost ali efforts
/ at Graduating these cases failed.
/ such was the situation at T=ief
= when, in the year 1892. Prof. Robert
/ Koch was ordered TO that place TO in
| vestigate the cause Of the persistence
/ Of the disease. At the time Of his ar
rival, the local health officers knew or
/ eight patients i'll with typhoid fever.
/ Koch established his laboratory and put
1 his assistants at work in Il, and de-
/ tailed others on inspection duty
/ throughout the town
! In cases Of nl-defned sickness. spc-
! cimens were examined by the latest re-
/ finements Of meteorological science, and
1t was found that instead OF there be-
/ ing only eight cases in the place. there
! were seventy-two. When the health Of
/ icers were in possession Of information
in the case Of only eight widely sep
arated patients. they were unable to
fix definitely the sources Of the dis
ease. but with full Information in con-
| nectiOn with seventy-two patients il
was easy to trace the disease from
one to another.
Unaware of Disease.
Moreover, here were sixty-four 2er-
! sons suffering from a dangerously c1In-
municable disease. many of them coine
| about the town unaware Of the SER
/ BUSINESS Of their condition and fafllus
| TO recognize the fact that they were
I constant sources of infection 10 those
| with whom they came in contact. II
is well known that one person suffer
ing from walking typhoid and COM
| ing in daily contact with many peO-
| pie will contribute more TO the spread
Of the disease than a dozen sick pa
tients IN bed at their homes. or than i
| hundred in well regulated hospital
''Ths Local physicians OF Trier. act