Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1932-08-12
Health Department
Issues Report For
Month OF July
Three Cases OF Typhoid Re.
ported In Upper County;
School Hygiene Studied

Investigation of the presence of
typhoid fever in the upper part of the
county has led the Montgomery Coun-
ty Health Department to discover that
the germs were transmitted BY a
typical typhoid carrier, in this ms
stance farm laborer. According to
DIR. G. v. Ellicott. in charge of the
county Health Department, the car
rier had typhoid fever 81 years ago
and has been carrying the organisms
OF that disease ever since.
Statistics have shown that from one
to five percent of persons who have
had typhoid fever continue to carry
the organisms during the remainder
of their lives. even though they SUI
fer no i'll effects themselves. Such
persons are q danger to others only
when they handle food, the report
states.
The two other cases of typhoid few
er which occurred near the same town
were probably infected directly or in
directly either from this first case or
from the carrier, it is said.
The report reads in part:
"The Citizens Committee meeting
on July % discussed Maternal Hy-
giene, Infant Hygiene and Public
Health Nursing. The need of educat-
ing the public in the Importance of
reporting to a physician early in
pregnancy was mentioned, also the
importance Of obtaining a thorough
examination Only small portion of
infants and pre-school children of
Montgomery County have been receiy-
ing home visits by public health
nurses owing to the small size of the
staff, and the importance of extending
this service was discussed. 1t was
recommended that the well child
should have a medical examination
once month during the first year of
life; four times during the second
year and twice year from the second
year to school age. To promote these
periodic examinations, it was suggest
ed that well baby conferences be held
at which each child viii be examined
by his regular physician. In this way
the Health Department can use its in
fuence to urge parents to have their
children examined and at the same
time examinations can be made By the
practicing physicians. Diphtheria I'M
munization and smallpox vaccination
can be performed at the conferences
inasmuch as those services should be
given early in presehool age rather
than after entrance to school,
"Many helpful suggestions concern
ing the medical inspection of school
children were made at the meeting Of
the County Medical Society on July
q, this meeting being devoted entire
ly to school hygiene. It was pointed
out that the one great obstacle to the
success of this work was the difficulty
of obtaining the parents consent to
correct the abnormal conditions found
in the examinations. The usual prac-
tice in this work is to examine the
children in school, send cards to par
ents notifying them of defects found
and requesting them to take their
children to their physicians or dem
fists. Unfortunately, only small pro-
portion of the parents heed these
notices. While this difficulty has been
partly overcome by inviting parents
to be present during examinations SO
that the Importance of the defects can
be explained to them, and partly over
come by the assistance of the teachers
in visiting the parents, it is still diff
ficult to get many parents to proceed
I - Il.