1 894-1 LATTIMORE— EPIDEMIC OF TYPHOID FEVER. 275 



thousand gallons of water, was applied to the walls and floor of the 

 reservoir with the full power of a steam fire-engine, the engineer 

 keeping well to the windward. 



Allow me now to summarize very briefly the significant facts 

 already stated somewhat in detail : 



In the month of February, by an amazing blunder, water beyond all 

 question sewage-laden, was pumped into the mains and used by the 

 unsuspecting citizens. Almost immediately after the contamination 

 of the water, as I am credibly informed, " nearly every one in the city 

 was more or less ill with dysentery accompanied with griping pain in 

 the bowels, and a rise of temperature to about 103". In two or three 

 days this subsided." At the beginning of March the epidemic was 

 recognized, reaching its maximum daily number reported, 122 cases, 

 on the eleventh, and declining through the next twenty days. A condi- 

 tion inseparable from every case was the us a of water from the city 

 supply. Others escaped without exception. The chemical analysis of 

 the water by the City Chemist. Dr. Herbert M. Hill, showed evidence 

 of contamination. The bacteriological examination, by the Acting 

 Bacteriologist, Dr. William G, Bissell, demonstrated in water drawn 

 from the mains, the presence of the essential cause of typhoid fever, 

 the Bacillus typhosus. Previous to this discovery, I was assured by a 

 number of prominent physicians that they knew of no diversity of 

 opinion among the medical profession, that the epidemic was due 

 directly and wholly to the contamination of the city water supply by 

 the city sewage 



The short duration of the epidemic was probably due to the 

 peculiar construction of the water works system, which causes a rapid 

 circulation, and thus the uninfected water taken from "the crib" in 

 midstream soon swept the mains free from the fatal bacilli. 



As incidentally connected with this case, it may be mentioned 

 that during the prevalence of the epidemic in Buffalo, grave appre- 

 hensions of danger seized the minds of the inhabitants of some of the 

 villages which derive their water supply from the lower part of the 

 river, such as the villages of Niagara Falls and Suspension Bridge, 

 and threats were made of legal processes to restrain the city of 

 Buffalo from contaminating their water supply. The epidemic 

 having ceased in Buffalo, the t?iodus vivendi has no doubt been 

 resumed, to continue until the next explosion, when it will be too late 

 to apply a remedy for that time. 



Has not the sad experience of our sister city a most impressive 

 lesson for the citizens of Rochester? It is true that it may not have 



