Norwich bulletin., 1922-02-25

The following Is the official report by
DR.. ]. T. Black, state health commits
sioner, upon the typhoid fever outbreak
in December, 1921, at Norwich Town:
Between December Z, 1921, and jan
uary 4, 1922, II cases Of typhoid fever
were reported by the health officers OF
Norwich Town and Norwich city. On
December IA, the state department Oh
health was requested by. Doctors
Thompson and Brophy, health officers
of the town and city, respectively, to
assist them in the investigation of an
outbreak of typhoid fever. 1t had al
ready been ascertained that those Ill
| with the disease had used milk from
single producer, and the sale of the
milk had been ordered discontinued by
DR.. Thompson
| Between December IA and February
| 9, seven visits were made to Norwich
and the suspected milk farm by the in
vestigators of the department. In the
| investigation, the department of -healtn
cooperated with the local health officers
and with the state dairy and food com
missioner.
AS a result Of the reports fled by
| the health officers, the medical inspec-
tors, engineers and laboratory of this
/ department and of the inspectors of the
/ dairy and food commission, the circum-
| stances surrounding the outbreak and
! the probable cause of the same can be
| outlined as follows:
1t was asoertained that there had
been no typhoid. fever in Norwich city
or town for period of five months pre-
| vious to the present outbreak. The wa
| ter supply was determined to be uncon-
tan1inatel and no food or drink except
milk was found as a likely source of in
lection.
All the cases, of typhoid fever had
used milk produced on the farm OF
George S. Beebe located in Norwich
Town. Investigation of this farm
showed that the sanitary conditions
were not good and that the water sup
| ply was secured from two sources
well located near the house, and a
spring some 500 feet away which sup
piled the barn through an iron pipe
Analyses of the water Of both of these
supplies showed that the we'll at tn
house was uncontaminated. but that the
water from the spring was grossly con
taminated
Further investigation revealed the
fact that the water of the spring haf
| been supplemented by piping water from
an underdrain to the spring. This un
derdrain which was practically con
cealed its entire length. was built o
stone covered with soil and extende
several hundred feet through a barn
yard on the adjoining premises. and a
: this location it was found that appar
emily it received the overflow directI,
from a cesspool which was one Of Sc
ries of three. the second emptving int
the first and the third emptving int
l the second Upon opening this drai
near the noint where It was bv-passe
into the sDring and where it was 10
Gated about four feet beneath the sur
: face of the ground, a. characterised
sewage odn~ was noticed and the rock
in the bottom of the drain were covere
by a denosit resembling sewag
2 growths. Cnquestfonably the tappin
: of this underdrain to augment the sur
S ply of water in the spring had rasulte
IN delivering into the spring and fro,
s thence to the barn, sewage contaminat
D ed water
. AS sewage contamination does M
o | necessarily indicate the presence of ~
e phoid ,hacilli further study was made
determine the primary source Of tt
y typhoid Infection. It was ascertaine
e that an occupant of the adjoining prem
> ises on which were located the thrt
y cesspools or septic tanks before mel
toned, had suffered with typhoid few,
in January, 1920. Every effort VIZ
u made by laboratory examinations to d
ternine whether this person was a t.
!, phoid carrier and as such responsib
u Tor the pollution of this water. bl
} without success. The investigation Wa
.e not carried on for a sufficient length
time to determine whether this perst
is one who discharges typhoid germs i
termittently. 1t has often been -four
that typhoid carriers go for months
n time without demonstrating the pre-
-e ence of the bacilli
H. In an effort to trace the possib
V transmission of infection from the W
n ter to the milk, it was ascertained tn
le It had been the custom of the owner
I'd the milk farm to rinse his milk pa
r and cans in the watering trough at Il
70 barn supplied by the spring.
+ One of the cases of typhoid fever 7
rs ported was that of colored help
A. working on the milk farm, but he w
n apparently victim rather than t
T cause of the outbreak, for the onset
~ his disease was approximately Decel
Ia Der 10. Careful examinations we
made of all persons connected with t