The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-07-26

as VIII place II above any reaSOnaDl'
suspicion as a source of infection be
fore it is distributed to the city FOL
drinking and culinary purposes. Tn,
public water supply can be made saf'
without great expense and within ter
days from date. The officials of tn,
water company have expressed thei
Intentions to carry out the measur,
needed to safeguard the water supply
and there apepars to be in the law
of the state, county and city ampl
authority to compel the carrying on
of such measures.
Obviously Dangerous
"Since it is obvious that the wate
of the Cascade mill pond is danger
ously polluted with human excreta
and since it is possible at any tim'
under the present arrangement Of tn,
pipes for the water from that ponC
to be pumped into the city waite
Mains there is no question tina
m measures should be carried out t,
make it impossible. through design o
accident, for the water from the pont
to be pumped into the city mains
The manager of the Cascade mills hal
expressed his intention to compl.
with the instructions from the Cit,
Board of Health to effect. within
thirty days from July Z, a plet,
separation of the two water SYSTEM
at the mills.
'"Thus, there seems to be good rea
son to expect that danger of typhoi'
infection from the public water sup
ply will soon be obviated. and all nos
Sible efforts should now be made t,
have sanitated the privies, priv.
vaults and cess pools. which, in thei
present condition, constitute an OBJ
vious source of infection, and, in m,
opinion. the greatest single menace t.
the public health Of the city.
THE results of a previous invest
cation of the typhoid fever situation
in North Yakima conducted by TIL,
State Board of Health Studies in ty
phoid fever by the Washington Stat
Board of Health during 1909-1910.
Indicate that infection spread more o.
less imm ediatelY from the bedside o
the sick plays an important part her
in the causa ton of typhoid fever
Under the preseLt organization of thu
local health department. which
exceptionally good for city of thi
size. and with the spirit of co opera
ticn Enthusiastically manifested by tn
members of the local medical pro
fession. there is good reason to be
Iieve that much effective work will b.
done from now on to lessen tn
spread of infection from the bedside
of typhoid fever patients.
Intelligent Cooperation
Behind the work of the oca
Health department there appears t.
be an intelligent, strong and increas
ing public sentiment for sanitary bet
torment in the community, whicI
augurs we'll for the future. Hygieni
advancement will be made in proper
| ton TO the understanding and the in
| telligent effort exercised by tn
| masses of the people of the commu
| nifty. On the whole the outlook seem
| encouraging. There is no reason t
| believe that typhoid fever cannot b
prevented in North Yakima by en-
| forcement of measures which hav
| proved effective in every other plac
where they have been applied. Tn
| long, warm summer seasons ar
| favorable to typhoid infection. an
consequently a higher degree of san
tation will be required her etc reduc
| typhoid fever to a low rate than
| II i
cooler climates. The remarkable pros
perity of the general population {
North Yakima makes such a degre
Of sanitation for the city thorough
feasible and comparatively readily al
! tainable, and there appears to be n
| good reason for representation
Every effort should be made TO e,
the people generally to understan
| that the sanitation of their homes an
of the whole city is an importar
| business which vitality concerns ever
man. woman and child in the com
| m1Inity. Results count, and If san
tary measures could be enforced sui
| 1ciently this years to effect a marke
| reduction in the typhoid fever rat
the support of the general populatio
to continue the work at an increasin
rate from year to year could be rea
sonably expected. The ability and tn
| intelligence of the general populatio
| of North Yakima warrant the prediC
tion that eventually this city will b
one of the most sanitary cities in tn
United States, and my desire in sui
hitting this preliminary and some
what frasmentary report at his tim
is that the administrators of the civi
| affairs of the city. and through ther
| the whole population, may appreciat
the Importance of taking every ste
possible to- get carried out at once tn
most obviously ana urgently needle
measures directed toward maxim
North Yakima practically a typhoid
proof city Particularly appropriat
is the motto recently adopted by tn
Citizens Sanitary league-"Do
Now"
|