The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-07-08
Investigating Board Prepar- ing Report on Situation
 to Give to the Public
ICE CREAM CONES
 AND CREAM GET THE
 BLAME FOR DISEASE
Two Employees of One Ice Cream Plant Known to Have Been Infected With Typhoid cilli-Vaccinations
 Continue With Rapidity

Chief Sanitary Inspector w. c. Burson reported Is additional cases of typhoid fever at 5 o'clock last night, which brings the total number up to 1S3 cases for the first seven days of the present month.
 It was also stated yesterday that the heavy rains had much to do with keeping down the number of reports. and also after a few more days there would be very few more cases reported, as the cause had been definitely located by the medical authorities of the city, and eradicated.
 Health Officer Dr. Cecil D. Gaston and the board of health cooperating with Commissioner of Health and Education John R. Hornady are drafting the re- port of the investigation on the outbreak of typhoid fever now existing, and this report will be ready for publication about the middle of next week.
 The facts of the present epidemic which caused about 300 cases of typhoid fever in the last 10 days are known to the authorities. The cause has been re- moved and there will be no more ty- phoid outbreaks, according to the medical authorities of the city.
 REPORT COMPLETE
 The report of the investigating board
 is ready for publication, except that the city authorities desire to completely clinch their case before making the facts public. They also desire to avoid unnecessary litigation by making charges they possibly could not entirely substan- tiate. The facts of the typhoid outbreak as they are now known to the author ities, are that in the manufacture of ice cream two employees are known to have been infected with typhoid fever some weeks ago, and also in the manufacture of ice cream cones, two employees were infected.
 These employees, and possibly regular typhoid carrier employed in the handling of food products, such as ice cream and lee cream cones were able to spread | millions of the typhoid bacilli throughout the city before they were finally con- fined to their beds with the fever. The facts concerning the typhoid out break have piled up by the minute in- vestigation of every typhoid case in the city The medical authorities, confronted with the problem of stemming the tide, went at their task assiduously. After a few days and nights of tabulating all the facts contained in the records of the cases, they were able to obtain a valua ble clue that finally led to the absolute stamping out of the cause that has brought 300 more infections of ty- pboid fever up to the present time. ALL PATIENTS EXAMINED Every typhoid patient was examined either in person or through his physician. Records of the victims actions and diet prior to contracting the fever were taken. and the final analysis of the medical authorities of the city was that the cause Of bo tynh r trooa h fO infected ice cream and ice cream cones.
 HORNADY TALKS
 The report that is now being drafted will go into details of the municipal investigation into the grave typhoid situation. It will tell just where the in- fected ice cream and ice cream cones were manufactured and just how these food products were infected It will also tell what has been donee to eradi- cate the trouble and will contain recom- mendations for the future. It will re- quest of the city commission that an ordinance be passed to the effect that all milk used in ice cream factories be pasteurized. Vaccination to everyone in 1 the city will be also recommended. Commissioner Hornady stated yester- day that it would have no difference l just how well prepared Birmingham was to fight contagious disease. it could not possibly have prevented the present epidemic. . | "If we had been all vaccinated | against typhoid" said Commissioner Hornady, we might not have suffered ] so heavily in the present epidemic, but even if Birmingham had been a spot less town the 300 cases of typhoid now | in our midst could not have been pre- 1 vented. Someone accidentally spilled some poisin, and a lot of us suffered
 before we finally found out who spilled
 it.
 | "We are now convinced that tho condition which brought about the sudden and startling increase of ty- 1 phoid fever has been corrected and that l the worst is over. Every case that ex- l ists in the city is a possible source of
 infection, and the utmost care should 1 (Continued Page Twelve) l AK1