Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-05-31
Triumph of
Pure w alter
~ tredc;ic }. Haskin

Washington. May si,--A ray of sun
shine ir a gloomy maze of mortality
statistic is an item showing that
tsnhaid fever is rapidly becoming a
rare disease ia the United States
since people have understood that
impure water is largely responsible
for typhoid. the percentage of cases
has fallen OF steadily. When the
country - thoroughly o<sanized FOR
,lcsn drinking water. typhoid will be
as rare in occurrence as smallpox.
and as much feared
In the past year there were i.O0'
deaths from typhoid in the 6s largest
,,i,ses of this country. This makes
the death rate for this disease 81 per
100 o0e population. big drop cont
nared with the figures of 1909 and
tata. Then typhoid death rate OF
rs SO ar even Too in 100000 people
vas not unusual for city
In those DAYS. European capitals
serc far in advance Of our cities In
e,can water precautions. Even in
zoos New York had - deaths from
,ynhoid aud chicago i, as compared
Win London ;. Paris ;. Stockholm l..
ard perhn Vow. New York has
hrourht its rat, down II "a and Chi
rAso 10 i.i--a remarkable reduction
and many other cities have done aS
|weu
sp,.neI communities Tor the most
mart have not been ahle I" advance
a. raptdly some towns have under
estimated the Importance Of pure
vaster 20 Tho extent of thinking they
could not afford the precautions used
~ cities As for the farmer. de-
ne,a.nt on his own farm for his
uater supply he has been apt to
conclude that cold. clear water was
hound 20 he sanitary. without giving
a thought &C. tho possibilities 81 m
fs,t,on Recently the government has
heer making = special EFFORT q point
ans - he farmer the principles 81
pure water suppl,
The latest stCp m tnsurins pure
~ater 10 the publ, is rullnE y
uhien the rubuc Health Service :
~ Superyiss the drinking water on
steamships in this country rms
,,eans that all tho excursion steamers
ars other passenger steamers on our
AYERS and lakes. and along the coast
,,rr,sh satisfactory drinking water e
passengers
ncst Inspection.
IN the past some 81 these
h-,sts have b,cn lamcntahly care
lcss II choosing the source q
tnetr water suppiy. ON the 1rest
lakes some steamers have hceh
known - draw water tor drinhhG
purposes close 10 shore whore se"aEe
soa drains were sure e contaminate
Il cases ~ typhoid traced to trips
cr these h,ats we're common.
po-t Inspection by Public Health
Ser,ire officials will he similar 70 that
nov maintained on trains. lnspec- :
,,or ~ water on trains has been IN
eject fer some time and has been
successful in spite Of predictions that
agents could not follow up = moving
tratr a. Soc that il did not MI us
arirkins tank from an unsafe source
IN another way body blow :
hsinr aimed AZ the typhoid germ
TN.nhoid innoculation kept down the
eniaenlie which usually follows war
snnsitions and this rrecautfon i'
gradually being adopted by civilians
~xpccisilv those who live IN districts
-, t,.nhotd i most prevalent The
trouble With irroculation is that peo-
~. .o~.-d II - IN irfaiihlc charm
against typhoid and i they near q
a. inno,ulated person contracting inc
a,so.s, he, decide that the process
q worthless
what irnoCulstlon docs lF e IN
,...sc re persars : resistance. 50 that
~ I. me II throw on 4 much greater
nunher IL typhoid bacteria than NJ
othcrwisc could II he is exposed e
foaa ~ water polluted 20 an extrem'
gree he may take the disease.
t.w ~ our soldiers did contract ~.
nhfJa Is ms way but the numher
-. i,s,eriNrant compared with IN,