Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-18
TYPHOID IS TRACED
| TO HEALTHY WOMAN
Remarkable Discovery in the
Georgetown Epidemic.
mixer ON DAIRY FARM
mixer ON DAIRY FARM
Bacilli Carried Eighteen Years
After Having Fever.
ONE OTHER CASE ON RECORD
Reports Of Surgeon General Wyman
and DR.. Observation-Disclosures
ton Only Safeguard.

The reports OF Surgeon Gen. Wyman
and Health Officer Woodward OF the
investigation jointly conducted by the
District physicians and officers Of the
public health and marine hospital serv-
ice into the epidemic in Georgetown.
disclose one of the most remarkable dis
coveries in medical history in connection
with the source and spread of typhoid
fever. The investigation established the
fact that a woman mixer at a neigh
boring dairy, who had had typhoid fever
eighteen years ago, still throws off in
her dejecta virile typhoid fever bacilli
and was the responsible agent in spread
ing the disease.
With one exception this is the first con-
siderable outbreak of typhoid fever in
the United States, traced through milk.
to such a carrier. A peculiar feature In
connection with the case is that the ex-
animation developed large numbers OF
typhoid baciln in the dejecta Of the
woman, although she apparently was
enjoying good health. Surgeon Gen. wy
man says an important source of the
disease has been developed and one which
heretofore has not been duly recognized
Surgeon General Wyman's report says:
'Twenty-six cases of typhoid in George
town. occurring between october and
To- were traced through milk to the dairy
farm. On close inspection of this dairy
farm no case of typhoid fever for years
could be found to have occurred among
any of the employees. nor was any otner
source of infection discovered until after
a systematic examination of deJecta OF
all the employees had been made In the
hygienic laboratory.
Only One Other Case.
This examination developed large num-
bers of typhoid bacilli in the dejecta
of one woman who had had typhoid fever
eighteen years before and was one OF
the mixers of the dairy. Persons thus
affected are known to the medical profess
sion as typhoid bacilli carriers. but this
is the first considerable outbreak Of ty-
phoid in the United States traced through
milk to such a carrier. excepting the case
reported by DR.. Henry Albert of Iowa, In
the Hygienic Laboratory bulletin on MIX
and Its Relation to the Public Health,
published last January.
1.-The case Just discovered Is deemed or
special interest to health officers In their
endeavors to trace the source OF typhold
outbreaks when that source seems to De
obscure.
cases of typhoid fever become bacilli car
riers for a longer or shorter period. even
while enjoying good health. Ten per cent
of the cases Of typhoid fever IN WASH
ington during the past three years nave
been definitely traced to infected milk.
Pasteurization Only Safeguard.
DR.. Woodward, speaking of the discov-
cry of the source of the Georgetown out
break, said last night that typhoid fever
outbreaks due to infective milk will be
liable to occur at any time until the
proper pasteurization of milk under gov
eminent supervision will render 1t rea-
sonably certain that the process Is Ell
fectually applied.
The focus Of infection in the cases In
Georgetown appears to be woman ap-
parently in the best OF health, he SAID;
mo possible system of inspection would
have resulted In her exclusion from the
dairy farm prior to this outbreak.
1T may be suggested that with better
methods for the disposal of dejecta on the
dairy farm such an outbreak couId not
occur. In this particular instance, While
the method Of disposing of human dejecta
was not ideal, yet the point of disposal
was remote from the we'll. The well Is
strongly protected from surface drainage,
and chemical analysis indicates that the
water is of exceptional purity. II con
tamination occurred through any defect
of the method of disposal Of the excreta
it must have been through infected flies
or infected dust.
But even were the possibility OF the
transmission of disease through the meth
cd of disposing of the dejecta enectually
closed there remains the possibility OF
infection of the milk supply through the
hands of those persons engaged In the
care of the milk utensils and OF the milk
itself, prior to delivery. Nothing snort
of surgical cleanliness would prevent the
carriage of infection through such hands,
and surgical cleanliness on the part OF
all such persons Is entirely out of the
question.
Bacillis' Rapid Growth.
1T requires the deposit of but a micro
scopic amount Of infected defects in the
milk supply for a given source to infect
the entire milk. and such microscopic
infection readily occurs. A few bacilli
deposited In the milk rapidly multiply,
and as they are scattered through the
milk by currents set up in it by one
cause or another each new bacillus be-
comes a new center of infection and the
ultimate number In the milk by the time
1t is consumed is enormous. AS typhoid
fever baciln grow in milk without pro-
ducing any perceptible changes in it their
presence cannot be detected by either the
milkman or the consumer.
No system of examination of the milk
supply of the city bacteriolOgically will
prevent the occurrence of such outbreaks.
The amount of milk that can be ex-
amined bacteriologically in single day
is infinitesimal as compared with the en-
tire milk supply. Moreover, the number