Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-01-23
SHALLOW WELLS
Of THIRD WARD
CAUSE TYPHOID
This Is Conclusion Of Professor
John D. Clark, Based Upon
Data furnished by Health
Department

mat Is nhsiiyw welis - ths LOW-
I lan6a .ses "a - ihe city are the chief
source = fyphgiJ feser In AIbBauer-
{ que = the declaration " Prof John y.
L CLARK. head ~ the chemistry depart
msni - the inNeEF5fy " NsN. Mex
! .co
Profesegf Clark'H statement follows
During 8 pfriof - twelve months.
ghn period sn1lnz with ere 18th Of
January. 1915. there have teen thirty
one casa 81 typhoid fever iu the cify
{ II Albuquerque OF these siKhf casts
+ acre probably contracted outside %
the city. tfD1gh one ~ the eight had
iis origin lnlp Srven ~ eight mites ~
/ the valley This leaves d net total ~
twenty-fhres tasfa e0nfracied within
the cts. IN = period ~ one year. an
f. average II about two eases month
E N the population ~ the district AZ
ferted i considered ~ 2N.9ae q VII
~ observed that one 0uf ~ each SO
E n cor residents vas 3 victim ~ this
preventative disease during the past
gear.
Efficiency 81 Board Of Health
The above facts have been coli
ieeied - tie chairman " the board
! u health. DR. l. q. RE who working
in cooperation with the physicians Of
I the city. and with the assistance q
Z Thomas Morrin. the city health oih-
( Ger. has watched contagious diseaafs
Ia the city very carefully and has
placed The department on basis "
Z sffiasncg not known before IN the
city.
"As so5n az o physician attending
= case u typhoid had diaguesed a
case a. such he reported the matter
to the board Of health on q printed
= blank prescribed b. the board. on
this blank are questions intended 10
bring OF . know ledge o. the source
Of cOntaKi0u The city health oiiicer
al once placed under quarantine 81
houses - which the cases 81 typhoid
had been reported and he enoeaVored
10 ascertain the source Of the iniee-
ton
The following data are available.
Thesg cover the past twelve inOiiths
"l-Thisty-One casts " typhoid In
the city feight cases contracted out
sidel.
z "e-Tweniy-ihree cases undoubtedly
contracted IN the city,
"3-Thfee cases In the .iishlands.
"f-Txenty cases In the LOwlands
"s--Pailenia had received milh
from thirteen different sources.
Gin ten cases patients had used
water from private wells.
lila ten cases these wells were
In the LowiandE,
"s-~ln no case WAS there used
well IN the Highlands.
.g--Flftech out Of twenty-three
, cases were south 81 Central avenue.
and six Out Of ten u the cases "hefe
wells nigh, be suspected were south
Of Central avenue.
"I0--There was heavy precipita-
ton In April and May ana the number
OF cases Of typhoid rose Ia June.
"1I--June WINS q dry month but
july and August were very vet and
. typhoid Increased in September TO its
highest point Of the year.
"ig--DecemboT precipitation has
been yery heavy. January IL but Two
thirds goae and typhoid Is on the IN
Z crease (This is winter and typhoid
Ii least prevalent IN winter.
"I3-The known impufity OF the
water in some valley wells.
Points 90 Well ~ Source.
1T is true that the number OF cases
from which conclusions are To De
. drawn IS not large The fact that our
data are IN such good accord warrants
drawing conclusions from this small
! number. The evidence at hand points
| to the shallow wells Ia the valley as
the source 81 infection. II Is to be no
ticed that IN no case Of typhoid was
! a well IN the Highlands questioned,
. while ten IN the Loklands might be
: regarded with suspicion. Al OF the
| wells which nught be Suspected we're
I near the center Of population and moi
In thinly settled districts. tho aver
age distance being close to seven
blocks from the Alvarado hotel
Tile valley drainage IA To the south
and ont OF the twenty-three cases
contracted IN the city fifteen were
south OF Central avenue. To this
must he added the fact that many OF
the wells in the valley contain water
which has been proven suspicious o.
even dangerous for use, hy chcmica
/, analysis
shallow Wells Ia Valley.
During the past five years man'
chemical ANALYSES Of the waters IRON
various wells IN aud around Albu
querQue have been made IN the Ia
II b0fatories al the University OF New
v Mexico. These analyses show tha
the quality OF the water from some o
!. the wells IN the valley is exceedingly
4 questionable THUS can he seen BY
n comparison OF some Of the analyses
i. In Judging the quality OF water III
II content Ia free ammonia. albuminoi'
h ammonia, nitrites ana IFS capacit
+ for consuming oxs gen are given mos
% careful scrutiny. These factors ar
here shown az parts per million Il
those waters which By the univcrsit
q records are known to be best an
. those known 80 be poorest,
Is Free Ammonia Rest showing
city main. u.0l3, Poorest showing
d valley we'll, 0.4sa.
a "Albuminoid Ammonia -- y 5
showing. Gilchrlst well, Inlversit
Heights. 0.0lS Poorest showing val
"a ley we'll, 0,tS
y. "Nltrites--Best showing. severn
wells show none. Poorest showni
D