La Junta tribune., 1908-03-14


systems of sewage. they cannot for
moment compare in deadliness
with that most unheavenly pair of
twins, the shallow well and the vault
privy. A more ingenious combina-
ton for the dissemination Of typhoid
than this precious couple could hari-
ly have been devised. The innocent
householder sallies forth. and. at an
appropriate distance from his cot he
4 digs two holes. one about thirty feet
deep. the other about four. Into
I the shallower one he throws his ex-
creta- while upon the surface of the
ground he filings abroad his house
hold waste from the back stoop. The
gentle rain from heaven washes
these various products down into the
soil and percolates gradually into
the deeper hole. When the inter-
esting solution has accumulated to a
sufficient depth it is drawn up by
the old oaken bucket or modern
pump. and drunk. Is it any wonder
that in this progressive and highly
civilized country three hundred and
fifty thousand cases of typhoid oc-
cur every year. with a death penalty
Of 10 per cent. Counting half of
these as workers, and the period of
illness az two months. which would
be very moderate estimates. gives a
loss of productive working time
equivalent to thirty thousand years.
Talk of cheap as dirt" 1t is the
most expensive thing there is.
Given the bacillus, how does it get
into the human system? Here the
evidence is so abundant and over
whelming that we may content our
selves with bald statements of fact.
The three great routes of this pesti-
lence are water. milk and flies. OF
the three. the first is far the most
common and important While only
a rough statement is possible.
probably 50 per cent. of all cases
from water. 5 per cent. from milk.
5 per cent. through flies and ) per
cent. through other channels would
fairly represent the percentage.
How does typholu get into milk?
1t does not come from the COW,
for. fortunately. none of the domes-
tic animals. with the possible excep-
ton of the cat. is subject to typhoid.
Every epidemic of typhoid spread
by milk and there are scores of
them now on record can be traced
to the handling Of milk by persons
suffering from mild forms of ty-
phoid, or engaged in waiting upon
members of the family who are i'll
of the disease. or the dilution of
milk with infected water, or even.
almost incredible as it may seem. to
such slight contamination as wash
the cans with infected water.
Health officers now watch like
hawks for any case of typhoid
among or in the families of dairy
men. The New York City Board of
Health. for instance. requires the
fling Of certificate from the fami-
ly physician of all dairymen that no
such cases exist. And the more in
t:lligent dairyman keep vigilant
eye upon any appearance of illness
accompanied by fever among their
employees. some that have known
even keeping fever thermometer
in the barn for the purpose of test
ing every suspicious case. How ef-
fective such precautions can be made
may be illustrated by the fact that
in the past five years there has not
been single epidemic of typhoid
traceable to milk in Greater New
York, even with its inadequate corps
of ten inspectors. and the six states
they have to cover. The moment
single case of typhoid appears, the
dairy or milkman supplying the Gus
toner is given most rigid special
inspection. and, if any source of in
fection can be discovered, the milk
is shut out of New York City until
the department is satisfied that all
danger has been removed. One or
two lessons of this sort are enough
for a whole county Of dairymen.
The danger of transmission of ty-
phoid through milk has been enor-
mously exaggerated. and. like all
nfhar mill .hor,, diso>ro< ;r aaA;.ol.,