Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-19
TYPHOID BY CONTACT
Public Health Service Beqins
Investigation.
SEEKS EXTENT OF MALADY
DR.. Woodward Will Take Hand in
the Inquiry.
STUDY OF SUSPECTED CASES
Startling Discoveries Result From
Similar Procedure Elsewhere.
Element Of "Contagion."
SEEKS EXTENT OF MALADY
STUDY OF SUSPECTED CASES

the public health and marine hospital
service and the District health Office have
begun a series of Investigations to de-
termine to what extent the annual preva-
lence of the malady in Washington is due
to contagion.
Where investigations have been con-
Quoted 1t was found that persons suf-
fering from walking typhoid have
spread the disease widely. To secure
data showing the danger Of such cases
in this city the typhoid board Of the ma
rine hospital service is making a house
toulouse inquiry in the section Of the city
bounded by Dist, I'D and f streets and
Pennsylvania avenue. All suspected cases
likely not to be diagnosed as typhoid
fever in the eight blocks mentioned are
noted. Careful study will be made Of
suspected cases.
Startling discoveries have resulted from
similar Investigations in other places.
Makes Explanatory Statement.
In regard to the work the marine hos
pital service has made public a state
ment:
I'm spite Of the many sanitary advan-
tages possessed by our city, 1t Is set
nently to rid itself of typhoid fever. Ev-
cry autumn the disease declines az the
cold weather comes on; every summer
the number of cases increases, beginning
about July. and rising to a maximum in
August. For many years the water was
considered the principal source of infec-
ton, and one improvement after another
was introduced, eliminating about two
years ago in the construction OF an up
to-date and efficient filtration plant. Still,
the regular periodical rise and fall of the
fever persisted, unaffected so far by the
filtration of the water.
I'm the summer of 1903 the surgeon
general of the public health and marine
hospital service, with the approval OF
the Secretary Of the Treasury. at the re-
quest of the Commissioners of the Dis
trict, detailed board for the investiga-
ton of the cause of the disease in
Washington. Infected milk was shown
to be responsible for a considerable part
of the total number OF cases, and still
larger percentage was due to contact in
lection or could not be traced by any
means at the command of the board.
Nov, 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 to
the healthy persons.
Element Of "Contagion."
"In America the element of 'contagion'
in the transmission of typhoid fever has
not been fully appreciated. because In
the country as a whole there have been
so many cases obviously due to infected
milk and water that the recognition OF
the contact cases is made difficult.
1.-The importance of contact was en-
phasized, however during the third an
nual conference of state and territorial
health officers with the public health and
marine hospital service In 1905 by DR..
victor c. Vaughan of the University of
Michigan. He had been one of the MEM
bers of the commission appointed in 1898
to investigate the origin and spread OF
typhoid fever in the United States milf
tary camps during the Spanish-Ameri-
can war. AS result of these investiga-
lions it was shown that personal con-
tact was responsible for 66 2-3 per cent
of the total cases studied among the mil
itary forces.
In Germany, where in many cities the
water is good and the milk boiled, 1t has
been shown that the disease is trans
mitted almost entirely by contact I'm
der 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 scien-
tific thoroughness, with a paternal gov
eminent supporting the sanitarians to the
all efforts at Graduating these
cases failed.
Results at Trief.
"Such was the situation at Trief, when
in the year 1902, Prof. Robert Koch was
ordered to that place to investigate the
cause of the persistence of the disease.
At the time of his arrival the local
health officers knew of eight patients ill
with typhoid fever. Koch established his
laboratory and put his assistants at work
in it, and detailed others on inspection
duty throughout the town.
"In cases OF ill-defined sickness specl-
mems were examined by the latest re-
finements of meteorological science, and
it was found that instead Of there being
only eight cases in the place there were
When the health officers
case of only eight widely separated pa
tients they were unable to fix definitely
the sources of the disease, but with full
in connection with seventy
two patients it was easy to trace the dis
ease from one to another. Moreover
here were siXty-four persons suffering
from a dangerous communicable disease.
many of them going about the town
unaware of the seriousness of their con-
dition and falling to recognize the fact
that they were constant sources or IN
lection to those with whom they came
in contact. 1t Is we'll known that one
person suffering from walking typhoid
and coming in daily contact with many
people will contribute more to the spread
of the disease than a dozen sick patients
in bed at their homes, or than a hundred
in d well regulated hospital.
Put "Walkers" to Bed.
THE local physicians of Trier. acting
on the information furnished by Prof.
Koch, promptly committed these walk
ing patients to bed, screened away the
flies, prevented Injurious contact between
the sick and tie well, and .disinfected
bedding, ETC., with the result that In an
incredibly short time the city was free
from typhoid fever.
.'Washington is much larger than
Trier, and consequently presents much
more difficult problem for solution, but
the high scientific merit and
the practical efficacy of Prof. Koch's
the typhoid board, which is still
its investigations, is now apply
ing these methods to studies OF the
disease in Washington. Accordingly.
Past Assistant Surgeon Norman Roberts
has been detailed by the surgeon general
to assist the board In this important work.
in cooperation with Health Officer Wood
ward. A thorough house-to- house Inquiry
will be made with the object of discover
ing all cases likely to be undiagnosed ty
phoid fever within the eight blocks
bounded by 21st street, F street, I'D street
and Pennsylvania avenue northwest. The
hygienic laboratory will examine speci-
mems from all suspected cases for the
presence of typhoid bacilli. This work
has already been in progress for several
days
1.-THE mortality of walking typhoid is