The hygiene of transmissible diseases; their causation, modes of dissemination, and methods of prevention . and in all prob-ability had lasted for but a few days, when it did occur. This negative evidence, however, by no means weakens theground taken by Gaffky in believing this well to have beenthe source of infection. The Epidemic at Plymouth, Pa., in 1885.—In the springof 1885 the mining town of Plymouth, Pa., of about 8000 to9000 inhabitants, was visited by an outbreak of typhoid feverof explosive violence. The sudden appearance of the epi-demic, its rapid spread, and the ultimate demonstra
The hygiene of transmissible diseases; their causation, modes of dissemination, and methods of prevention . and in all prob-ability had lasted for but a few days, when it did occur. This negative evidence, however, by no means weakens theground taken by Gaffky in believing this well to have beenthe source of infection. The Epidemic at Plymouth, Pa., in 1885.—In the springof 1885 the mining town of Plymouth, Pa., of about 8000 to9000 inhabitants, was visited by an outbreak of typhoid feverof explosive violence. The sudden appearance of the epi-demic, its rapid spread, and the ultimate demonstration of theunderlying cause, make it one of the most instructive of themany cases of this kind that have been recorded. From 60to 100 new cases occurred daily, and on one particular day200 fresh cases were reported. At least looo of the 9000inhabitants were stricken down with the disease. The circumstances surrounding this outbreak were of sucha character as to point directly to the drinking water as thechannel of infection. The facts tliat were elicited upon inspection of the town TYP/IOW FEVER. 79. Fig. 5.—Chart of Plymouth, Pa., showing sources of its water, and the dis-tribution of the polluted supply (line in red). TYPHOID FEVER. 81 and its surroundings were as follows : Conspicuous amongthe data recorded was the fact that while the disease was gen-erally distributed through the town, it occurred, practically,only in those houses that received tJieir water-supply from onespecial source—/. e. the general water-supply of the town thatis obtained from a series of reservoirs situated along thecourse of a rapidly-flowing mountain stream that skirts thesouthwest margin of the borough. From these reservoirs itis distributed in pipes in the usual way. It was also noticedthat in those houses receiving their water from other suppliesor those having private wells, either no cases of the diseaseoccurred or where they did occur it was only among themembers of the family who drank
Size: 1339px × 1866px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubject, booksubjectdiseases
