Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-25
ABOUT THAT TYPHOID FEVER
DR.. E. Holovtohiner sayS No Typhus
Bacillus Has Been Found.
SAYS CITY WATER NOT TO BLAME
Rebukes AIarmist that is Promoting
the scare About an Unusual
Amount OF the Disease and
Crying 'BOu water"

OMAHA. Jan. 4-To the Editor Of The
Bee: The daily reports in a certain Omaha
Newspaper Of the number Of cases Of ty-
phoid fever and Of the number Of deaths
from that disease are not only sensational,
but are really nauseating.
The constant harasslng Of our school su-
perintendent for not causing the water TO
be boiled In the school buildings is also ex-
asperating and TO a high degree annoying.
Let us analyze the s~o-called typhoid fever
epidemic and its supposed cause.
We all know that impure water, bad milk,
decayed vegetables or stale shell fish are
greatly responsible for typhoid fever.
Our city bacteriologist has repeatedly an
alyzed and examined our city water in diff
ferent localities, and, IL l am not mistaken,
has never found I'm one instance or in any
sample the typhus bacillus-the only cul-
! prit responsible for the dreaded disease.
consequently no blame could be laid to our
city water for the sporadic cases Of typhoid
fever in existence today in Omaha.
He did find, however, as 1 understand.
under the microscope, colon bacilli and al
buminoid ammonia in his analysis; but
these agents are not responsible for typhoid
: fever. They would be the cause Of lntes-
final or bowel arrangements, and that is
probably the trouble we have to contend
with IN the majority Of cases heralded as
typhoid.
Admits There is some Typhoid.
1 do. not deny that we have typhoid
fever In Omaha. 1 myself have some cases
on hand and very severe ones. But when
was there a time when we were free from
typhoid fever? Infectious diseases of al
Nnds, like the poor, we have always with
but never before did any newspaper
think OF reporting them with such per-
sistency.
I venture TO say that II ell the cases Of
tuberculosis existing in Omaha were to be
reported daily in the press; or II all mental
or nervous diseases were chronicled from
day to day, Omaha would have had the
reputation Of the most infested city with
consumption or would have the appearance
OF the most gigantic insane asylum in the
world; while as a matter of fact, Omaha
has less consumption than any city of it's
size; and, by the way we are steadily
growing and progressing, we certainly are
the most sane and safe city in the word.
Now as to the harassing of our school
superintendent for not having water boiled
in the schools; the hue and cry about it
is equally absurd. It is easy to advise boil
ing water in schools, but how? Did the
alarmist ever darken the threshold OF our
schools? If he did he would know that
such a procedure is practically impossible.
with the probable exception of one or two
schools there are no facilities whatever to
boil water, and then, after you have pro-
cured boiled water how would you pro-
vide sanitary methods for serving same?
Striving TO Improve.
We are constantly deVising all sorts OF
schemes nowadays to get away from the
trough and cup system. We have fountains
in the schools. where children can drink
water without coming in contact with
metal, and we are abolishIng the common
cup altogether. We rave the individual cup
system, sanitary faucet methods, etc, but
how would we dispense boiled water II
not from a barrel or tub or receptacle of
huge dimensions to cc5mmodate the hun
dreds Of children in one school? But why
arguing, figuring and calculating. when
there is no epidemic of typhoid fever in
Omaha? When the typhoid bacillus was
never found in the water and the milk
supply found not to be contaminated with
typhoid virus? ,.
AS to the cases of typhoid fever existing
this year-the same cause must be attri-
buted to them as was a year ago or any
other year, without sounding any unneces-
sary and spectacular alarm.
DIR. E, HOLOVTCHINER.