El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-11-18
FRANK q. CARPENTERS LETTER.
Uncle Sam, Doctor

of the knees and partial paralysis It
affects the skin, the stomach and the
whole physical organization. In Ala
Dama IN 1901, there was an epidemic
of 1t at the Mount Vernon hospital for
negro insane, in which there were IS
cases and 81 deaths.
No one vet knows just what causes
pellagra- 1t has been thought to come
from the eating of c0rnmeal made
from improperly cured corn, but this
is doubtful DR.. Anderson tells me
they have traced back many cases
where corn was no part OF their diet.
Moreover the scientists of the hygien-
ic laboratory have fed rabbits, mice,
guinea pigs and other animals upon
the diet said to cause the disease and
that without any effect whatsoever
Dr.. c. II. LaVinder. who has investi-
gated the subject in connection with
the laboratory. does not think it can
come from maize and so far its origin
is practically unknown.
During the present year the labora-
tory has been attempting TO give mon
keys pellSgra- 1t has taken the blood
and spinal fluid of penagra patients
and injected them into the blood OF
these little animals. DR.. Lavinder has
done the same. but so far their eX-
periments have not been successful,
although valuable information has
been obtained
Some of the most interesting work
Of Uncle Sans hygienic laboratory
has related to typhoid fever me
CORPS Of doctors here are ready to re-
spOnd to any call from typhoid cpl
demic provided the state or city where
the typhoid is makes the call. At
such times they aRO to the site or the
epidemic and investigate its origin
Dr. Anderson tells me that typhoid
can only come from the typhoid ba-
cillus, and without this is present it
cannot exist. One might eat bad fish
or bad meat which did not contain
Inc In
could not have typhoid fever. How
ever, this little being exists in most
forms of sewage, 1t muluplie5 at an
enormous rate, and it goes forth on
its career of destruction like an army
with banners. It is not true that 1t is
common in oysters. although it some
times comes from such shell fish as
have been taken from the salt water
and laid in braclzish water to make
them swell I'D and look bigger.
The great danger of Infection from
typhoid fever lies entirely IN thdl
which comes from the patient when
he is in certain stages Of the disease,
and as a rule this danger disappears
as soon as the man RECEIVERS. II mas
been found. however. that there are
certain human beings who are bacillus
carriers They are loaded with ty-
phoid and other diseases; but the dis
ease has no effect upon them and they
keep in health BY disease ] mean
that they have In them multitudes OF
the laclll winch cause LlAc uAoNda1-
One case Of this kind was that Of
cook known as "TDyhOid Mary. She
went from place to place and where
ever she worked the people got the
typhoid fever. There were several
dozen of such cases. all caused by this
healthy Mary.
Similar instances have been discov-
cred by the Germans. and it is now
found that there are certain people
who are carrying about the cholera
bacillus in the same way. For this
reason all the immigrants who are
now coming from the Mediterranean
are carefully examined. even to the
making of a meteorological analysis.
A number OF cholera carriers have
been already discovered and sent back
One of the German doctors speaks
OF a female typhoid carrier who had
been distributing this disease for 40
years. and another, the manager Of
an estate, who had been giving it
out for 10 years During this time s
cases of typhoid had occurred on that
estate. In the German statistics 1t
is found that in about 400 female car
riers 800 were hOusekespers and 56
domestic servants One was con
nected with a dairy.
Typhoid From Dairy Mix.
And this brings me to one Of these
chronic bacillus carriers who once
spread a blanket of typhoid fever over
g large portion of West Washington.
The epidemic occurred IN the fall Of
1908, and in less than three weeks the
District Of Columbia had 135 cases Of
typhoid OF these "a were in George
town, and upon Investigation it was
learned that all had been drinking