The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-03-09
TYPHOID CARRIER CONSTANT MENACE
 FOR THE PUBLIC

Last month a typhoid carrier was found engaged as a cook in the Col lege Lunch Room of Wesleyan Uni Versity. N inc undergraduates and an alumnus however, had developed typhoid fever, resulting in one death, before the source of infection was traced to the cook who was deter mined a carrier upon examination of his blood and stools The interesting feature of this case is the unquestion- able intermittence of the discharge of the typhoid bacilli from the stools of the man. In brief the history of the case is as follows:
 Shortly before the College opened last September, a colored chef was engaged by the College Lunch Room, which is under private management, for the convenience of students de- string a nasty lunch between lectures. 1 The same management operates the Wesleyan Book Store, located a short distance from the lunch room. At the book store hot coffee, ice cream, and sandwiches (the latter made by the lunch room cook) are sold at 1 noon. During the third week in Oc- | tober three students developed ty- phoid fever, and at about the same time, an alumnus, who visited the college early in October, developed the fever after his return home. In vestigation by the local authorities led to the belief that the infection had been brought to the college by the students.
 The next outbreak did not occu1 until January, when six cases, one of which was fatal developed during the first week of that month. Ina the source of infection was common in at least these six cases seemed { justifiable conclusion. Water, milk contact with known or probable case! of typhoid, as sources of infection were in turn eliminated after inves tigation. Attention was naturally di rected to the probability of a carrier Of the entire Freshman Class, sixteel gave a history of having Typhoid fe yer.
 Among the other new corners, tn, cook first attracted attention becaus of his occupation. Investigation tend ed to show that while the lunch room had very few regular boarders, a yer. large percent. of the students ate
 
 week either at the lunch room or tn book store. The cooks blood, there fore, was examined by Vidal method but was found negative; examination a few days later, however, gave a pos itive Vidal. Later bacilli which wer isolated from his stools were readil agglutinated by the blood of typhoi , patients.
 Close inquiry failed to elicit iron the cook, who is an intelligent ma of twenty-three years, any history o having had typhoid fever. thougl there is reason to believe that he ha a walking case" nine months ago | The interval between the two out ) breaks is probably due to the inter mittent discharge of bacilli. This be lief is further strengthened by the in termittent appearance of the bacil in the stools which are frequently ex a amined in the hospital where tn $ cook is now under observation.
 No further cases of typhoid hay , occurred among the Wesleyan stu
 dents since the chief was remove c from the lunch room.
 The Middletown experience wit " this carrier ought to be a stimuli C to every physician and health office n to make a thorough investigation 8 :, to the source of each typhoid feve
 infection Had the cases that occul " red in October been thoroughly inve. :, tigated, in all probability the Jar - Tary outbreak would have been avoft r ed. It also emphasizes the value e determining whether food-handlers If public and private institutions ar o free from typhoid (tuberculos1s an = syphilis might well be included i1 = lection.
 It is sometimes necessary as it WE
 with this case in question, to resoj
 to good capitalization in order
 determine the infectiousness of a su; ' picious carrier.
 T. E. REEKS, M. D.,
 Director, Bureau of Preventable Di, l- eases.
 e MUST PAY LUMBER BILL.
 Decision in favor of the Park Cit ,e Lumber Co. to recover $314.72 fro1 Charles Filep of Fairfield, has bee e handed down by Judge John I If Booth of the Common Pleas Cour " The suit was tried several weeks az
 and was brought to collect a lumbe = bill of $530.1S.
 Boston reports seven inches c .