The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-14
STEPS NECESSARY ID
 PREVENT TYPHOID
Some of the Dangers Bir-
 mingham Faces
EXPERIENCE OF ARMY
Ordinance Requiring Incinerators at Birmingham Diaries Has Never Been Enforced = Views of
 Prominent Physicians
Rx CAPT. c. H. MANDY

By CAPT. c. H. MANDY
 In the last three months IFS cases of
 typhoid fever have been reported to the
 health department of the city.
 While this condition Is not unduly alarming, it is of sufficient importance to
 be given serious consideration.
 That typhoid fever can be successfully grappled with was clearly demonstrated at the great maneuver camp maintained at San Antonio, Tex, last year during the Mexican uprising. The health record of that camp surprised the world, sur passing even the splendid record of the Japanese in the late war with Russia. Of the 12,50O troops stationed in San Antonio only lone death was reported from typhoid fever" When this is com pared with the frightful record of 529 deaths that occurred in the military camps In Florida during the Spanish-American war in 1898, with only 10,750 troops in camp, the advancement in the methods of dealing with this particular disease stands out with startling forcefulness.
 The writer had the privilege of spend ing two weeks in the service of the United States at the military camp at San An | had ample opportunity to observe the methods employed to bring about such splendid results as the records filed in the United States war department show. l To the medical department of the United States army and the ready CO., operation of the officers, is due the credit l of the results obtained, which were the result of "eternal vigilance" on the part of the medical corps, the enforced vacci- nation for typhoid fever of all troops and attaches, from the general in com mand to the latest recruit, and the splen- did system of sanitation, of which incin- eration was the keynote
 The common fly of itself is harmless l but is accounted as the greatest menace to the public health on account of it's l known proclivity to convey disease germs | In the camp at San Antonio he was | Literally starved to death," for every vestige of garbage and refuse was de- stroyed by fire almost as soon as it was created. However. the benef1cent effects of the typhoid vaccination should not | be overlooked for it is everywhere ad- mitted that the innoculation of the troops | for this purpose had a most benehcent effect.
 1 To come back to local conditions and | the cause of the present large number 1 of typhoid fever cases, pr. Nelson, health officer of the city. and Dr. Ross Shy fder. in an interview gave out the fol- l lowing statements, in which they com ment on the fact that the milk supply is | a prolific cause of the spread of typhoid | fever and comment on the fact that al | though an. ordinance was passed by the late city council of Birmingham requir7 ing the dairymen of the district to in- stall incinerators, the present city com
 missioners have not seen fit to enforce it.
 Dr Nelsop's SuppestiOn
 Dr. Nelson said:
 Among the serious sources of danger
 to a community Is the milk supply. The
 health departments in the various cities
 are making every effort to throw around
 the people every possible safeguard
 against contamination from this source. | Among the numerous regulations of
 daires now being enforced as far as pos
 sible with an inadequate force of dairy inspectors are: CD Testing cows for tuber-
 cuosis; CD building dairy farms accord
 ing to certain specifications in regard to
 light, ventilation, drainage. etc.; (O the
 proper construction and screening of milk 1 houses and efficient screening from flies
 of milking utensils between mlkings; (4
 proper and prompt cooling of milk; (5)
 a maximum temperature at which milk can be delivered, etc.. (6) introduction of
 sanitary milk pails, etc.
 | Milk serves as an excellent culture media for the growth of bacteria, and
 unless cooled instantly to a temperature of at least 45 degrees Farenheit, the in- troduction into it of only a few bacteria will result in a short while in such enor- | nous numbers as to render the milk dangerous. Fortunately most of the dairy men supplying milk to Birmingham are 1 intelligent enough to understand the lln- portance of clean milk, are conscientious enough to do everything in their power | ,fS walrOmp sound legislation leading to this. On the other hand there are others not only too l ignorant to comprehend the danger 70 health and life from infected, contamnat- ed milk, but even if they could under | Stand would be criminal enough to wli- l fully neglect to carry out the most iin- portant measures in good milk production. To inspect all the dairies supplying milk to Birmingham, scattered as they are | around us within a radius of 10 or 20 miles. as often as they should and be sure that the regulations governing them are properly observed would necessitate a
 force of inspectors double or treble the
 nresent one and more efficient means of
 travel This increase in the force and
 hetter facilities of travel must and will
 come in time Owing to the necessity Of
 the city to practice economy,i the time
 has not vet come but this condition Of
 things cannot last. "One safeguard WHich hds not pOoh thrown around the people of this com lmunity in regard to the milk supply, lis the proper means of disposal or the
 excreta of those connected with the dairy. The only sure and safe disposal of human exerement is cremation. As | long as an open closet remains in close proximity to dairy farm or milk | house, just so long will milk from this ] source be dangerous. Last fall a, year , ago an ordinance was passed by the . council after having the sanction of the whole Jefferson County Medical so- r ciety, requiring the dairies supplying | milk to Birmingham to put in some f form of incinerator to dispose of eX- , crement When the commissioners came in power, owing to certain objec- tions raised by the dairymen, enforce . ment of it was held up. Nothing fur ther has been done. Fly time is ap- preaching now and something should 1 be done at once, either repeal the or . dipance or enforce it. lf is my opinion , that no more sane and sound law has , ever been passed in connection with
 dairies than the one just referred to
 and I am most heartily in favor of it's enforcement. To my mind, some form
 of privy incineration for human ex-
 crement is just as important part OF the equipment of a dairy as the cows" pr. Snyder said:
 Dr. Snyder's Views
 "The objections raised by the dairy mems association to the incinerator or
 dinance were surprisingly effective in
 causing a suspension of the ordinance