Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-05-07
DR.. DIXON WARNS
ABOUT TYPHUS
Commissioner of Health Says
That Precautions Should Be
Taken Promptly

health officers be on the alert to pre-
vent typhus fever being carried into
this country by people from foreign
countries. especially Mexican labor
ers are made by DIR. Samuel G. Dixon,
state Commissioner of Health, in a
statement issued to-day. Dr. Dixon
says that people should be on the
lookout for newly-arrived MeNicans
and that they should supplement- the
work of medical men. many of whom
have been called into war service
leaving fewer to look after home
sanitation.
DR.. Dixon says:
Typhus fever exists to-day in
Mexico. and thousands of MeXicans
are travelling across the boundary
lines into the United States in search
OF work and the good money II
brings. The boundary line formed py
the Rio Grande is so long and tor
tuous. that our little army OF sanl-
tarians is not able to prevent many
OF the MeXicans from coming INTO
our midst without any sanitary treat
mert. The danger is obvious.
There IS. at present, a good amount
of scientific evidence that the cause
of typhus fever is a bacillus That is
found III the body of lice feeding on
typhus fever patients. While the
scientific workers continue to pursue
or to prove further the guilt of the
bacillus for our typhus fever we are
fortunate to know that whatever 1t
may be is carried in the body louise.
and there is a fair degree of suspi-
cion that the head louise may also
carry the organism.
The body louise delights in wooden
clothing and can make itself very
much at home in cotton spun ma
terial.
To prevent the introduction of
typhus fever from Mexico into the
States. no Mexican should be trans
ported across the boundary lines
without permit, given by the Unit
ed State Bureau of Public Health
Service. All health officers should
he on the lookout for the
newly arrived MeXicans. who are
now settling in construction camps
and around the centers of the great
industries, and when these foreign
ers are found and fail to show a clean
bill of health. they should be eN-
amined for lice. If these are found,
the clothes of the patient should be
burned and the body should be
shaven. washed and wrapped in a
sheet soaked with a mixture of one
half kerosene and pne-half vinegar
while the head should be wrapped
in cheese cloth which has been soak
ed in this same mixture.
In looking for the lice, it is well
to remember that when you begin
to strip the clothing they immediate
~ make their retreat into its fabric.
This makes ii very essential to eN-
anime the clothing and, if lice are
found there, it is certain that there
are some on the body and therefore
the process of disinfecting is essen
tial.
If conditions will not permit of the
destruction of clothing, IT should be
baked until all signs of life have been
destroyed. or boiled in water for at
least twenty minutes.
If infected lice are carried across
our border into our midst, typhus
fever may become epidemic in many
places. owing to the fact that those
carrying the lice are very apt to get
into crowded housing conditions,
where the lice have every oppor-
tusty of injecting a large number
of people.
IL health officers have proof that
these foreigners have come from in
fected districts, they should be held
in quarantine for about twelve days
after being cleansed, as the incuba-
tion stage of typhus fever is about
nine days.
Typhus fever is a very fatal dis
case, vet the deathrate can be great
ly reduced by intelligent medical aid.
which there has been a shortage of
in Pennsylvania for several years,
dating before the outbreak of the
present war.
Just now ii is possible that the
medical me nand the Federal govern
ment are not making a calculation
of the necessities of our home people.
Thousands of our best physicians
and even teachers of medicine are
leaving our shores for foreign coun-
tries. This condition of things makes
it still more important, if we intend
to keep up the basic supply of food
ammunition and warriors, for ouI
home people to listen to advice from
those who are Versed in preventive
medicine and to heed such advice
All of us should be awake to the
necessity of following out sanitary
laws for our own individual selfish
gain, if not because of the moral duty
we owe our country in the time oi
war.
Individual cleanliness and cleanli.
ness of our environment are essentia
in guarding against typhus fever
The transportation companies should
demand health certificates before
from Mexico. and our great indus.
tries should do all in their power te
provide proper housing for their EN-.
ployes. not only to avoid possible
epidemics of typhus fever. but Other
communicable diseases.