The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-21
TYPHOID FEVER
 WAVE AVOIDED,
 BOWLING AYERS
Comprehensive Report Is Made To The Board Of
 Health By Officer RAW MILK DAIRY
 INVOLVED IN CASE Disease Carrier Suspects Dismissed From Service
 Here Thursday

phoid fever, revolutionizing raw milk dairy to pasteurization, finding and dismissing two typhoid carrier sus- poets from dairy service, and the call ing of special session of the Jeffer son county board of health were the high points of activity in the city hall Thursday morning.
 Like the mobilization of an army for time of war, Dr. J. D. Bowling, dis trict health officer, has set the ma chinery of the department of health in motion at the first suspicion of dan ger; trained men tackled phases of the disease with which they deal; doctors were warned, the dairies notified, mi- croscopic examinations made and du- plicate specimen sent to neighboring laboratories for substantiation of Bir- mingham findings, with the result that the epidemic has been traced to its source and what was a serious threat of great trouble has been evaded.
 The first inkling of danger came when the comprehensive tabulation cards of the department of record showed Louie Ziegler, 3001 Pike avenue, Ensley, down with fever, January 2. There was a suggestion of typhoid. The case was watched with intense interest. It was typhoid. But one case of typhoid, the workers say, is not significant, for it can be contracted from visitors and does not necessarily imply local source of infection.
 Case Near Ensley
 Bernice Gates, 2420 Hamilton ave- nue, near the fair grounds, came down with fever January 15. Intensive ob- ssrvation was undertaken. The case proved typhoid. It was near Ensley, but that did not particularly signify anything.
 On January IS, Mrs. H.. H. Bailey, 2744 Pike avenue, Ensley, and Clifton Travis, 2320 Larch avenue, were strick- en- with typoid fever. Tlien it was that the department of health hummed with activity. Ensley was the area, there were several cases of typhoid, leading to the suspicion of the dairy serving the people on that general route.
 Research of files of the department of health showed four cases of typhoid that had brought Jacks Brothers raw milk dairy under suspicion year ago. Mir. Jacks laid his dairy service wide open to the. health departmeut work CTS and gave every cooperation. The milk furnished by his plant has graded among the very select in observance of the city's milk law, Dr. Bowling re- ports. The milk was analysed, search ed, studied and found above reproach. Then it developed that this dairy was interested in another plant selling milk, and two of it's former workers were employed at the new plant. Field men of the health department went down the line and found Douglas Parker, negro, a former suspect, working there, and l.. Jacks, brother of the owner of the other dairy, n man who had, it was proved, contracted typhoid fever IS years ago. Intensive examination brought to light, the health depart ment reports, that these men were carriers"
 Both carriers severed active partici- patton in the handling of the milk at once and the entire output was imme- diately put under sterilization, land is absolutely pure ;nd safe," Dr. Bowling states, but the raw milk, though it showed an extremely low bacteria count, had, it is believed, caused the damage.
 Milk Delivered Cold
 (Which goes to show" Dr. Bowling said Thursday, that pasteurized milk is the reliable milk. Luckily this raw milk was delivered cold. Had it been warm as in the old days, undoubtedly there would have been 10 cases of fever for each one found.
 January A, before segregation of carrier suspects had been accomplished, Mrs. V. c. Ashmore and Christine Ash more, 2318 Oakland avenue, in the same general vicinity, were down with typhoid.
 But through the perfected work of the health department the epidemic had been caught, curbed and infection stop ped. There have been scattered cases in the district since, but only such cases as cannot be traced to a local source, people who have visited other communities, or haves been visited by or employed persons from distant points. The same intensive research has been applied in every instance, but no local point of origin has been found for these scattering cases.
 Reports To Board
 The health authorities were reluctant to discuss the matter Thursday, saying the danger was passed, the epidemic nipped ill the bud and the dairy in question was now cleaned up and safe.
 The board of health met Thursday to receive Dr. Dowling's report.