Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-25
Clipping from The Evening Star October 20, IN
CAUSES OF TYPHOID
Contact and Milk Infection to
Be Guarded Against.
REPORT OF COMMISSION
Result of Three Years Study by
Marine Hospital Experts.
CLOSER INSPECTION is NEEDED
Vigorous Campaign Against Fever
as contagious Disease" Rec
commended to Eliminate
It's Spread.
Result of Three Years Study by
Marine Hospital Experts.
CLOSER INSPECTION is NEEDED

I'VE believe that in order 10 cause Il
further and a marked reduction IN the
prevalence of typhoid fever III Washing
ton il will be necessary I" carry on
mes sures to prevent the conveyance 81
infection by milk and by personal contact
Our studies indicate that If the market
milk supplied the city were pasteur1zed
under official supervision and an efficicH'
campaign made to diminish contact in
lection there would result very great
diminution in the amount of typhoid fever
in the District OF Columbia
Such are the conclusions of the OK
perts of the public health and marine
hospital service as Just reported tn the
District Commissioners. after an investi-
CATION of three years into the causes of
tho prevalence of typhoid fever in the
National Capital and the steps necessary
TO prevent it, The Investigations and the
report were made by NJ. J. Rosenau, di-
rector of the hygicnic laboratory; l.. l..
Lumsden. passed assistant surgeon. and
Joseph H. Kastle, chief of the division of
chemistry.
TN addition to the archaeological data
collected from personal visits to every
case reported during the typhoid season
MAY 1 to November y, we made during
that season archaeological examinations
Of the raw and filtered Potomac river
water also numerous examinations OF the
tap water, the applied water, etc
Selected Section Studied.
AT the suggestion of Prof. Sedgwick,
made at the meeting of the advisory
board of the hygienic laboratory, we made
a study Of the problem in selected dis
trict, comprising thirty-two city blocks
and containing 300 persons. This study
was made by Passed Assistant Surgeon
Norman Roberts. We found no cases of
clinical typhoid fever among these people
which had not been diagnosed as such and
reported to the health officer A special
search was also made for bacillus car
riers in this area.
Upon our request DR. H. O. Howard.
chief of the bureau of entomology, De
partment of Agriculture, made study OF
fly abundance in relation to the prev
alence of typhoid fever in tho District of
Columbia. But little connection between
the germ of typhoid fever and the fly as
it's dissemination could be made out
THE prevalence of typhoid fever In
the District of Columbia showed but
slight differences between the two years
1907 and 1908. Our studies showed that
about 30 per cent of the cases during the
typhoid season of these two years were
definitely attributable to importation, con-
tact with previous cases in the febrile
stage of the disease, and to infected milk.
The evidence strongly suggests that more
cases were due to personal contact and
to infected milk than were traceabie to
these factors.
In it's conclusions, the committee de-
clares that typhoid fever is peculiar to
the city of Washington, and that it's re-