The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-06-11
OYSTERS AND TYPHOID FEVER.

F
 There are seasons of the year when the instances of Infection with the or ganism of typhoid fever can be traced to their source. The greater out breaks are usually due to infected water. milk or other foods. while the smaller groups and isolated cases can best be explained by contact infection. The carrier has been shown to be the link between hitherto unconnect- ed cases. For many years no form of air infection (except dust1 has been said to be a cause of typhoid. and the reports of outbreaks of dust-borne ty- phoid fever in the Spanish and Boer wars and in India are based on the 1innsiest evidence
 We have not forgotten the ubiqui- tous hOuSe-f1y as a frequent carrier of disease, says The Journal of the American Medical Association. In many of our states, however, insects of this type are excluded as effective agents of infection because of the cli- mate during the colder months of the year, so that we cannot fall back on the convenient hypothesis of trans mission by nies.'' 3Ever since Conn's report Indicating the occurrence of cases of typhoid fever in epidemic form as the result of the use of oys- ters contaminated with sewage, there has been a growing tendency to at tribute the origin of much of the win ter typhoid fever in certain districts to sewage polluted bivalves.
 It is time to ascertain whether this attitude toward the oyster is justi- fled by the facts Oysters are a highly prized article of diet wherever they are obtainab1e. Despite the in creasing enforcement of rigid regula- tions concerning the vending of oys- ters that are free from pollution ac- cording to, the standards of such rep resentative bodies as the Bureau of Chemistry of the United States De- partment of Agriculture and the Rhode Island Shef1-Fish Comnissi on the prejudice against this food-pro- duet has, Justly or unjust1ys increas- ed in many quarters To consider only the alleged responsibih of the oyster in the causation of winter ty- phoid, we may ask what it's habits are at this season Gorham has shown or hibernate movement ceases and feeding does not occur, and the oys- ters become practically free from sewage organisms, even when lying on sewage-poIluted beds.
 As such facts seem to throw some doubt on the wisdom of attributing winter typhoid to the oyster,4 Joseph has made a, bacteriologic study of the oysters sold in Baltimore The aim of this investigation, conducted in the 1ADOFdLOry or dy81SnS ana BaCESI1Ol- ogy at the Johns Hopkins University, was to ascertain whether the oysters sold in one of the most prominent markets for these products in the United States contain typhoid organ isrns derived from the intestinal tract, and whether their content varies with the seasons of the year.
 The bacterial findings indicate that the oysters sold in Baltimore are in general free from sewage contamina- tion. Those few lots which would be condemned by the most rigid stand ards were obtained at times of the year when the weather was quite warm-a fact of no little significance in view of the tendency to prolong tho oyster eating season beyond the linn it's of the colder months. One of the most striking points brought out was the distinct change in the character of the oysters. according to the time of the year. Ine the early fall the scores were high in the cold weather of nidwinter low, and again high in the spring. On no occasion were the bacteria which cause typhoid found.