Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-04-16
Rural Origin Of ci.y Typhoid.

Rural Origin Of City Typhoid.
We are coming to the season Of the
year usually marked in our cities BY
the annual spring increase Of typhoid
attributed to infectious materials car
ried by freshets into water-supplies
There has recently. been q protest
against what is called the rural origin
of typhoid.
Typhoid is usually considered to be
mainly. II not almost entirely, wa
ter-borne disease. There Is no doubt
that drinking water has been respon-
sible for the great majority OF case IN
large cities. Yet the water seems to
be slightly. IL at all. responsible for
typhoid in New York. The proportion
Of cases to the population of the bor-
oughs of Manhattan, The Bronx.
Brooklyn. Queens and Richmond is
about the same. tho each borough has
a special water supply. The more care
fully the sources of New York's typhoid
infections have been studied. the more
frequently has milk been discovered TO
be the chief vehicle OF infection. Ell
forts at control have resulted in de-
cided improvement, but the education
dairy farming is still largely in the
hands Of the ignorant. After milk the
most common source Of typhoid fever
in New York is infection OF the pa
tient while out OF town About one
quarter of all New York's typhoid in
fections are OF this origin. While it
is impossible to give any exact figures,
over half OF the typhoid infections are
probably OF rural origin. Any at
tempt on the part of New York fur
Their TO reduce the incidence and the
mortality OF typhoid must consider the
lessening of typhoid in the country
places from which water. milk and food
are drawn. During the past three
years there have been an average OF
about $500 cases of the disease in the
city. and about $50 deaths. This is too
large a death-rate to be neglected.
The problem in New York is the
same as that in other states. AS our
knowledge OF sanitation grows, says
The Journal of the American Medical
Association. we realize that the health
OF the individual depends largely on
the community in which he lives. and
that the health of community de-
ponds 10 great extent on the health
Of other communities having CONNER
cial and other relations with IT, 1t is,
therefore. all-important TO secure by
general legislation such Improvement
of the health OF smaller places as will
assure large cities from being con-
taminated by them in the course of
commercial relations. Properly d.
rected this will not infiict a burden on
the smaller communities, but on the
contrary by improving their health
will prove Of the greatest possible
benefit.
Tho Deadly Bichorid.
The dangers in the indiscriminate sale
and use Of mercuric chlorid corrosive
sublimate) tablets have been shown
many times. Attention has also been
called TO the dangers OF popularizing
these tablets by selling them under
catchy or inferentially misleading
names. such as Glover Antiseptic
Tablets" Each OF these innocent!y
named tablets contains seven and one
half grains of mercuric Chord. Strict
provisions are made In some countries
for the protection OF the public. The
mercuric Chord pastilles of the Ger
man Pharmacopeia consist Of equal