Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-10-18
TYPHOID IN THE COUNTRY.

The problem of prevention of ty-
phoid fever has been solved in the
larger cities. For instance. the typhoid
death rate of Chicago is one-thirty-
fifth of what it was during the worlds
air years. If it were not for typhoid
being constantly fed into the city from
the outside the disease could be en-
tirely eradicated in Il generation.
or course, the city has no right to
complain of h country, for do they
not feed scarlet fever, diphtheria, and
measles to the country? One of the
reasons, and the chief one, for the low
typhoid rate of the large cities is prac-
tically perfect house drainage n sew
age disposal. One of the easons, and
the chief one, for the prevalence Of
typhoid in the country is the improper
disposal of human excrement.. The
prime object of any system of disposal
must be to prevent soil pollution. In
the main soil pollution does harm in
that 1T eventually causes water pollu-
tlon. People in h country can pre-
vent soil pollution if they will take the
trouble to do so. OF curse, there must
be some trouble, but then a Ease Of
typhoid fever causes a lot OF trouble.
Angus Macdonald. writing in the
Journal of State Medicine, thinks the
best method of disposal in tropical
countries is the use of deep pits. The
pit of the desert, the Arab we'll, he
says, gives excellent results. This.
method Is also employed in Jamaica
ana In various parts of South America.
rms is the method employed up to q
Few years ago in Baltimore. For the
country 1t is all right. 1t is not for
the city.
Macdonald says: "For the 80 and
nine of the rural population 1 believe
the deep pit closet is the only system
Of latrine service that i'm general is
likely to supply the demand"
The ideal soil for a deep pit is sand
or gravel. The pit should be eight or
more feet in depth. 1t should be 6x4
feet. rectangular, it's sides lines with
brick or stones dry set, it's bottom un-
covered. The ground around the pit
should be sloped to keep storm water
out.
Flies do not enter such a pit. Such
a pit will serve for 10 years or more,
When the contents get within a few
of the top the old pit should be COW
cred with dirt, a new one dug, and
the old house moved to the new loca-
tion.' In the long sun this is the cheap
est and safest method for use in rural
districts.
In towns too small to afford sewers
and yet too crowded to permit of
changing the location of the pits,
pump should be employed. While this
Is far from being an Ideal method for a
town, it is far better than the privy
now in general use.
If a deep pit cannot be employed be-
cause of the nature Of the soil or be-
cause Of the congestion of population.
the next best method Is the dry soil
bucket method. If the bucket method
Is used the best d%eodorant is a mixture
of salt and sand. A box of salt and
sand. equal parts, is kept in the privy.
This sprinkled in the closet after each
use in the proportion OF about two or
three to one. II cheap salt cannot be
had. dry garden earth should be used.
Dry garden earth is much better than
lime or other chemicals of that sort.
Salt repels flies, kills hookworm and
other parasites.