Arizona republican., 1911-01-05
HEALTH CONDITIONS
 IN SOUTHERN TOWNS
Suppression of Typhoid in Douglas. Tucson's Advantages and
 Needs

Dr. F.. <. Godfrey, territorial super
 intendent of public health, who re-
 turned from Douglas d few days ago. where he went to deliver an address
 h"turr tl. territorial tri".rrs' ass"- CIasi,n. when aske7 rcodrd'.ig health conditions in southern Arizona said
 there W3s nc;hing of pra scct sensa- tional interest. though good work is
 being done in the general campaign for the improvement of sanitary con ditions He said his trip was sole ly for the purpose of speaking to the teachers and offering them such timely advice as he might be able to give, though incidentally he i'm proved such oppOrtunity as he had to inquire into the health conditions at Douglas. with special reference to the typhoid epidemic nf lust summer. On the way home he stopped in Tue son for a few hours also where he was interviewed by I newspaper man.
 Referring to the Douglas typhoid fever epidemic the doctor Said there were about thir;v cases there last summer but it is nov practically eradicated or at least dormant. The work of tracing the epidemic to its original source wGs a very pe-pleN- i1g problem. but one which the local health officer undertook vigorously. Though perhaps not actually proven. by the process oi eliminating from the problem by invcstig3 tipn, the Nar- ious possible causes of infection. inc local health officer finall, decided that the most likaiy cause of all Was the use of tho city sewage by Chinaman who conducted a vegetable garden on the ,rex.c:.n side of inc line. and s;multancouslr with tne regulation O: Mr. Chinaman h. Ee- gan to get the upper hand of the epidemic.
 The cases seemed to occur jIst as frequently in the severed section of the city as in tl.at which had no sewer. No individual milk supply seemed to have more than its propor- tionate share of victims. The cases were also so widely separated that the blame could not fairly be laid to infection through the prevalence of flies. At least the only access the flies would have to contagion would be in the unsewered part of the city and the disease was no worse there than a long distance away whence the flies probably would not carry it. An examination of the water supply dis closed no bad conditions in that quarter.
 It was finally discovered that the Chinese in question was selling veg etables grown with the aid of sew age and though his garden was across the line and it was hard. to bring the law home to him Inc was restrain ed from selling salad vegetables where the uncooked leaves are used for food and in other ways was stopped from doing possible damage. As the epidemic then began to lose force there is good reason for be- Iieving that it's true cause may have been located. In any event the Doug las people now are rather particular where their vegetables come from and pr. Godfrey thinks they have a right to be.
 Concerning health conditions in Tucson the doctor said 1t is the best severed and best drained city in the territory and the methods of dispos- ing of garbage are the most satisfac- tory. Also the streets of Tucson are the cleanest and best appearing All of these things he told the Tue son interviewer and congratulated the city on those conditions. How