New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1916-02-05
VACCINATION AGAINST
TYPHOID

technology Division Of the STATE
Board Of Health, we know tina
400 eases Of typhoid fever o'
Cured in Louisiana during ter
months Of 1913. It is safe TO as
sumo that there were four tunes
that number. This estimate Is
based on a KNOWLEDGE Of cond'.
tions throughout the State and
Office records which show that
scarcely - per cent Of the phySl-
clans send in reports Of c"plh-nl-
cable diseases.
For 1918 the Bureau OF VIAL
Statistics has recorded to \p'em-
Der Ist, 2l2 deaths from Ills DIS
ease. AS the reports OF The fU-
real also are notably incomplete,
this number falls short, being
very probably only a small PRO
portion Of the deaths for iha.
period. ...a
In the United States 1JoHtH
eases of typhoid occur annually,
with a mortality Of lo,0o0. WITH
our records as basis we must
conclude that Louisiana. having
about 2,00n eases and 2l2 deaths,
bears her full burden Of tnis I'M
necessary loss Of life and the UNI
necessary economic vast" winch
death and sickness imply.
There are two corrPlntlVcs
which should be considered. 1t
is claimed by students Of typhoid
statistics that for every death
there are ten cases, and that u"
death rate among persons WHO
have recovered from an attack IS
much higher than among those
who never had, the disease. IN
1911 the Mutual Life Insurance
Company made study Of | 81
eases of typhoid fever. Ono hun
dred and forty six of the patients
died while under treatment. ~
the .42S who recovered from the
immediate results, the death rate
during the first three years was
fifty-four. or nearly twice the
normal death rate Of tWcntN-slX
for a similar group of persons
who had not had typhoid. Tn"
increased rate was greatest dur
ing the first year following re"or-
cry. On this point Of after-ef
fects. the Journal Of the Ameri-
can Medical Association says:
'Tn the United States each year,
5000 deaths occur among persons
who have recovered from an at
tack of typhoid fever. but who. as
n result Of impaired vitality from
the disease, succumb during the
first or second year after rccov-
cry"
1t is more than thirty years
since the causativc organism of
typhoid was discovered. For al
most twenty years a simple test
for recognition of the disease has
been in use. It. is called the
"Clumping' or Vidal test, and is
very simple. a drop of blood on
a clean piece Of glass or writing
paper. sent to tho laboratory or
to a physician who makes these
tests. is all that is needed About |
ten hours is the time required.
While the Vidal is not absolute !
ly infalliblc. the failure to show
typhoid being about three in one
experience each year
confidence IN this meth !
Cd of confirming diagnosis of
typhoid.
With positive knowledge of the !
cause and agents of tranmissloH,
and a means of proving conclu-
siyely the presence of the disease,
it would seem an easy task to
eradicate the evil. Forty SIX ,
cities in the United States have |
made definite and successful ef-
forts at control. Twenty three
have reduced the rate below ten,
and five have a rate lower than
). The improvement IN typhoid !
in American cities within ten
years finds no parallel in Eu-
rope or in any civilized country. |
The very large cities, as a rule,
have done more than those with .
n population much less IL nun
Der. s:ssis
At present it is impossi llH 10
the relative progress to-
ward control of typhoid II he /.
city and rural sections. In many T,
States the mortality rate from ty-
phoid in the rural areas is not !
known. DR.. Chas. L. Bolduan, |