The Washington herald., 1916-07-13
SEEN AND HEARD
BY GEORGE MINER

the opinion of Dr. Peter X. Olitsky. l agree
with him.
h With DR.. Harry Plotz, of Mount Sinai Hos
pital, DR.: Olitsky aided in the discovery of the
vaccine used in fighting typhus fever. He led
an expedition into Mexico last January to study
typhus and other plaques prevalent in that
country, and established laboratory at Mete-
huela, Central Mexico, in a plant of the Amer
lean Smelling and Refining Company. They had
very strenuous time of it, but brought back
great deal of valuable scientific and medical
data from their observations.
"Our troops" said Dr. Olitsky yesterday
during a conversation we had concerning the
Mexican diseases, will find Mexico as bad as
Cuba was at the beginning of the with
Spain. Besides malaria and the usual tropical
diseases they will encounter smallpox, typhus
and yellow fever, which are scattered through
town and country. All of these prevalent
now, except typhus which is most active in
winter time, but there is still plenty Of that and
in the large places like Mexico City it is fairly
raging
"Our expedition had every means OF pro-
lection against infection, but DR.. Husk and
were stricken with typhus after we had been
at work five weeks. He died Americans in
Mexico must take the utmost precautions
THE rainy season is at its height and
it is common for cloudbursts to wash away
railroad tracks In the dry season there are
many binding dust storms, which cause great
deal OF throat trouble and sometimes blind men
make them deaf
There is army, as we understand
army in Mexico but during the last few years
100000 men have been under arms fighting
der one gang leader another and living
plumber. They seasoned fighters, veterans
of many battle and OF FIVE years of constant
campaigning. They have no end of ammunition.
but little discipline.
"The chief danger to men will lie in
the diseases and with proper obedience to san
itary orders they can escape most of them"
The filthy Mexican army has spread the
typhus pretty we'll all over the country. In
the large cities it is very common. When
in Mexico City last winter there were a
thousand deaths a week from it and I have
no doubt that there are hundred two
week right now, although the rainy season
lessons the danger from il somewhat. There
were not hearses enough to carry the dead
pitas the ordinary cabs which ply about the
streets were used for both purposes
There bit Of grim civic economy in
the use of the cabs for typhus victims There
two kinds OF cabs in Mexico City, one with
blue stripes and the other with red. The red
cabs were invariably used for typhus work
Consequently the rate for the red cabs was
considerably cheaper than for the blue The
blue cabs cost three pesos an hour and the
red only two. Everybody knew that you ran
risk OF life and death by riding in a red
cab and still the red cabs were more patronized
than the blue because they were peso cheaper.
Which seems almost ncomprehensbIc when you
remember that peso is worth only two cents
or less in American money.
OF the well-to-do people all rode
in the blue cabs, but I have seen people Of the
middle class the poorly paid clerks and sales
men, let blue cab after blue cab go by, hoping
red would come along and they could
save that peso and possibly catch the typhus
Any American would have walked ten miles
rather than step a foot in one Of those red
cabs AS in all other cites, the poor class in
Mexico, the poems and Indians, don't ride at
all They walk
While nearly all the deaths from typhus are
among the lower classes, as they are disgusting
ly unclean and take precautions to prevent
disease and infection. there were also many high
ly refined and cultured people who took every
precaution, that fell victims to the dreaded
scourge Among them were several Americans
and Enghshmcn who occupied prominent posi-
tions in business affairs. The typhus bug is
no respcctor of persons
AS preventive every morning sprayed
our clothes with disinfectant and soaked the
soles of socks in some powerful chemical
the fumes of which it was said would constantly
arise and drive off any bug that you might be
unlucky enough to have light on you.
For it has been proven beyond a doubt that
this terrible and loathsome disease is conveyed
only by the body louse. If one Of these lice
that has bitten somebody with the typhus gets
on you and bites, and of course it bites If it's
next the skin, then you have the yphus.
You will stand chance to get one OF these
gentle vcrmln every time you are in a crowd Of
Mexicans. The simple act Of walking along the
street and being brushed by a peon in passing
exposes you
Decent people make every effort to keep out
of crowds, but it is impossible not to touch
some occasionally when you are out Of
doors That's the way that all the higher class
OF people became infected The bite is very
ed