Imperial Valley press., 1913-10-18
TYPHOID FEVER TO BE
FOUGHT BY UNIVERSITY


Hereafter, any Californian who has
typhoid fever has himself . blame for
his wholly unnecessary affliction.
1t has been announced that typhoid
vaccine and directions for it's use will
be sent free to any physician in the
state who will make application for it
to the department of pathology of the
University of California.
A new method of typhoid vaccina-
tion has now been worked out by DR..
Frederick Parker Gay, professor of
pathology in the University of Cali
fornia. Vaccination against this dread
disease has already been proved sue
cess by world wide experiment and
use. Heretofore, however, the use of
typhoid vaccine has caused, in many
persons, considerable fever or nausea
DR.. Gays new method, however, is not
only of increased efficiency but does
away with, or greatly reduces, any dis
agreeable symptoms in connection
with such vaccination. Instead Of u.s.
ing attenuated strains of living bac-
terra, as French medical investigation
has done, DR.. Gay makes his vaccine
from typhoid bacteria which have been
killed and ground exceedingly minute
His new method differs greatly from
the method ordinarily used heretofore
in the United States and Great Britain
in that he uses a sensitized culture
a culture treated with immune serum
Heretofore the three inoculations re-
ouired have been given at intervals of
ten days. Professor Gays method
shortens the time required. The Sec
ond and third injections of the vac
cine are now put into the arm three
and six days, respectively, after the
first incubation.
More than three hundred students
have been vaccinated against typhoid
with Professor Gays new method since
the University of California reopenec
in August. The university infirmary
is now giving the vaccine to more thar
$50 students every week. All student!
who ask for it are to be given sucl
protection against this dangerous dis
ease.
Typhoid is more common disease
than is generally recognized. Of the
students in last years freshmen clas:
at the university one out of nine OF
the men and one out of eight of tn.
girls had suffered from typhoid fever
before entering college.
For some years the British, German
and Japanese armies have enforced
vaccination against typhoid for al
their men. The United States army
adopted it in 1911, and immediately
cut down typhoid cases in the army <
1-21 of what they had previously av
eraged per annum. The field agent!
of the United States department o.
agriculture now all take this precau
tion.
1t is particularly in small towns ant
in the country that danger from ty
phoid is great, for the large city i!
apt to have better water supply, pro
tected against sewage pollution. 1t i:
contaminated water, contaminated
milk and flies which are the cause d
most cases of typhoid. Even a cit!
dweller who is protected against these
three sources of infection is still il
danger of contracting the disease
since typhoid carriers are numerous
and may contaminate food or drink
Such typhoid carrier was discovered
year or so ago by the state hygieniC
laboratory of the university. He was
winch-driver on the ship Acme, who
himself fully recovered from the dis
ease. Merely because he dipped hi.
fingers into the water cask on deck
during a period of five years he gave
typhoid fever to thirty people, Of
whom five died. Besides these known
cases, there is no telling how many
others contracted the disease from
him without the connection beinC
traced. Director Wilbur A. Sawyer OF
the state hygienic laboratory esti
mates that two per cent of all the peo
pie who have typhoid fever remain
"carriers' after they themselves have
recovered from the disease. He urge.
that physicians should not discharge
typhoid patients as cured until bac
/ THEOLOGICAL tests prove they are M
longer dangerous to others.
While ample tests have shown tn,
superiority of Professor Gays new
method, probably in increasing the inn
munity of the person so vaccinateC
against typhoid and certainly in max
ing the process simpler and in lessen
ing discomfort, yet DR.. Gay is contin,
uing his experiments, in the idea q.
! still further perfecting the method
1t is still thought desirable to continu,
to follow what is now the approved
practice of the medical world, and t.
repeat such vaccination against ty
phoid fever after two years.