The Mankato free press., 1908-07-24
HOW TYPHOID FEVER
is CAUSED.
Prepared By DR.. H. W. Hill, For the Minnesota State
Board Of Healhl

| plaIes, cups, spoons, etc., is also YER
dangerous, because. they go to th
: mouths of different members of th
family. In fact, it is almost alway
TRUE that If secondary cases develol
in the family of a typhoid patient
these later cases get it from the first
through the hands of the mother OF
whoever else is nursing the patient
With property trained nurse, how
ever, no such spread should occur. and
lit is not necessary that it should oc.
cur with any one if the proper pre-.
cautions are carefully followed.
Direct Handling Besides giving the
disease to Others through the food, the
mother, often directly puts her fingers
into her children's mouths. perhaps to
prevent them from swallowing mar
bic, perhaps to extract piece of gum
stuck to the teeth, perhaps to feel an
aching tooth, or for other purposes.
| She, of course. is likely to wash their
faces and hands. brush their hair. dress
and undress them, and the infection
on her hands, even if it does not not
go directly into their mouths, goes onto
their hands, etc, and they, in turn. put
their hands into their mouths. These
illustrations are sufficient to call atten-
tion to the dangers of hand infection
from the nurse to the rest of the
family.
Dangers from Helping the Nurse
Often even when a trained nurse is in
charge of a typhoid case and almost
always when the mother or some other
relative is acting as nurse, members
of the family, not regularly engaged
in the nursing, "help out" by sitting
with the patient at times, carrying out
the soiled dishes, bedclothes, etc, or
emptying the bed-pans or urinals. The
latter, especially, is often done by thel
father or older brother. Those per-
sons who thus assist, perhaps only byl
receiving tray of dishes at the doorI
and conveying it to the kitchen, run
some risk; those who handle the bed
clothes or empty the discharges, if
careless. rim great risk, even thought
they handle them for but a moment
Dangers from Infected Articles-An-
other danger from typhoid patient
lies in the washing of the dishes, bed
clothes, bed-pans, urinals, etc. Oftenf
these are carried to the kitchen and |
allowed to remain piled upon the table
or floor, perhaps mixed with the dishes, |
bedclothes, etc., of the rest of the |
family. and washed with them. 1t is
true that the usual process of .washingl
clothes, with soap and water, the|
clothes being. boiled, will kill the in
fection, so that the clothing is free
from danger after it is clean; but there
is also real danger, first, to the
person who does the washing, handlingl
The clothes, etc.; next, during the wash
ing, the one who does it may, with
her hands wet with the infected wash
water, take up kitchen utensils, receive
food from the delivery man at thei
door; possibly after hurried drying
On the kitchen towel (Which she infects
IN the process so that the next person1
who uses it becomes infected also) she
wipes the dishes, lays the table. ori
otherwise spreads the infection about
The place. (The writer has seen the
common kitchen hand towel. after be-
ng used to dry the family hands, used
llsO to dry the family dishes!) II
Flies-Another possible dangef to the
amily and neighbors consists in admit
ing flies to the sick-room, or to Dishes
or discharges in the sick
Dom or after removal from it. Flies
nay easily carry discharges upon their
eet from the bed pan or bedclothes toll
he family food or drink. A fy's feet
md legs are covered with small hairs,
md particles of feces easily stick tol
hese. If the fly with typhoid feces on .
lis feet falls into the milk or walks
'ver the cake he leaves trail of
yphoid infection behind him. Hence
he room and the whole house should, ]
possible be well screened. If the
lops, or wash water, are thrown
pon the ground, the chances of in G
ection are increased. So also if thel ,
rivy vault is open, or if the contents
verfows. Not. only may human beings1 e
ct excrement on their feet, but hens
nay carry it to the doorstep, and the
og may bring it into the house. :
he man who buries the discharges
lay carelessly get his feet soiled and
AIRY infection into the house in this
lay If he washes the bed-pan, or f
rinal at the pump, the washings may1 :
" GHlOuSi lHC Vulu VI luH L
; from the side, thus injecting the !,
-ell. r i
Preeautions-The trained nurse and Q
he physician should know how to pro-
sct themselves, and should 60 through r
Uphold outbreaks without contracting |,
ne disease. This is done simply bytv
ways regarding everything in pa
1ent's room as infectious, and never :,
andling anything that is in, or comes !,
,om the patients room unless it has :
rst been disinfected; ifit is impossibleI
, avoid handling the materials before "
isinfection, and of course, it must be n
andled during disinfection, then al
ays Immediately disinfect the hands. al
lfese rules faithfully lived up to day C
y,lday, hour by hour, minute by min .,
te, always, and in every case will n
ltircly prevent infection from spread :
g by way of the hands. a
Most important of all, it must be
membered that persons are infectious |
zen before the disease is developed,
I'd that many cases are, up and about U
i'd are SO mild that no doctor is called vi
he fails to recognize it. Also re.
ember that the germs may remain .,
the body long after recovery and are -
metimes found in people who have J"
yer been sick. Perhaps the new hired