208 DISEASES OF SWINE 



in the end three deaths were directly traceable to this one improperly located 

 well. The water here had become contaminated by seepage from the outhouse 

 vault, and the germs had remained virulent for several weeks, producing disease 

 in healthy individuals at this late date. 



On dairy farms there is an added danger in wells of this kind, in that the 

 water used for washing the dairy utensils, if impure, will transmit disease germs 

 to the milk. Milk is one of the finest of all culture-media for disease germs, and 

 they rapidly reproduce, causing disease in those who drink the milk. Typhoid 

 fever epidemics are thus started often in cities located hundreds of miles away 

 from the source of original contamination. 



In the fall of 1900 there occurred an outbreak of typhoid fever at the Iowa 

 State Agricultural College in Ames, Iowa, which illustrates very clearly the 

 dangers in impure water in transmitting disease among human beings. 



The milk used at the college had for a considerable period been furnished 

 by two farmers — Sketon and Pritchard. On account of increased demand it 

 was necessary to add another farmer to the list. Farmer Briley began sup- 

 plying mUk to the college September 3d. On October 8th the first cases of 

 typhoid began to appear at the college. The epidemic rapidly spread among 

 the student body and assumed large proportions in a few days. All the cases 

 of typhoid occurred among milk drinkers. 



At the training table of the foot-ball squad there were sixteen players. 

 These men, as a part of their regular training, were encoiu-aged to drink plenty 

 of milk. Thirteen of these sixteen men contracted the disease. No cases of 

 typhoid were found among those members of the student body who did not 

 drink mUk. 



An investigation was made, and attention directed to the milk-supply. 

 No cases of typhoid had occurred on the Sketon or Pritchard farms, but it was 

 discovered that a daughter of farmer Briley had been ill with typhoid during 

 the month of August. Her bowel discharges had been emptied into the cess- 

 pool of an outhouse a short distance from the house and located at a higher 

 level than the weU. 



Examination of the water from the well revealed the fact that the water 

 had been contaminated by seepage from this cesspool, and microscopic and 

 bacteriologic examination of the water demonstrated the presence of the 

 specific germ which produces typhoid fever. Water from this well had been 

 used for the purpose of washing out the milk cans which were needed for con- 

 veying the milk to the college. As a result, there had been the development of 

 tjqihoid germs in large numbers in the milk, and consequent infection of the 

 students who drank this infected milk. 



Milk from this dairy was discontinued on October 17th, and a little over 

 two weeks later the last case of typhoid was taken ill at the college. These 

 cases which developed within the two weeks after discontinuing milk from the 

 Briley farm had already become infected by germs from this milk, and the dis- 

 ease made itself manifest at the end of the usual incubation period. 



Hundreds of similar typhoid epidemics have occurred at vari- 

 ous times throughout the United States, and in a great majority of 

 these cases water polluted by sewage or seepage from an outhouse 



