MKDK'AL .SUnVEY OF THE TOWiX OF TAYTAY. 291 



in the water of the wells of TaA'tay might have been expected. The 

 natives of the town, of course, drink the water nnboiled. From the 

 character of the drinking-water supply in the town and its constant 

 exposure to surface contamination and to contamination from the hands 

 and feet of those drawing the \\'ater, it is evident that the population, 

 under the present conditions, must be exposed from time to time to 

 epidemics of cholera and of dysentery. 



It is particularly surprising that more cases of dysentery were not 

 observed during the time that the expedition carried on its work. Only 

 23 of the 789 individuals examined (2.9 per cent) were suffering from any 

 form of dysentery and t)ut 12 with amoebic dysentery. In view of the 

 fact that practically all the drinking water in Taytay was found to be 

 infected with aiiiwba', we must conclude that either most of the species 

 of amoiha' found in the water of the wells are not pathogenic foi- man 

 or that the great majority of the inhabitants of Taytay are relatively 

 immune to the effects of these amaha' present in the water. Only one 

 case of abscess of the liver was observed in the town. Although epidemic 

 bacillary dysentery has occurred in several parts of the Islands during the 

 present year, and has been more frequent than at any other time since 

 1901, no cases were observed in Taytay. However, epidemics of this form 

 of the disease in the Philippines rarely occur before the beginning of the 

 rainy season in June, and are most usual in July, August and September. 

 The remaining eleven cases of dysentery found in the town were of the ca- 

 tarrhal form and were perhaps caused by intestinal infection with Bacillus 

 pyocyaneus since this organism was isolated from the water of tliree 

 of the wells in the town. 



Of the protozoal forms of dysentery now recognized, amoebic, malarial 

 and balantidial dysentery are all found and are endemic in the Philippine 

 Islands. However, Kala-azar dysentery does not exist here. Of the 

 remaining forms of dysentery (the verminous ones), that one caused by 

 Scliistosoma japoniciim has alone been observed here. Schistosoma 

 luematohinum has only been found in Manila in cases in which the in- 

 fection originated in foreign countries, and (EHopliagodoiiiiun brtniij/ii 

 has not yet been discovered in the Philippines. With the exception of 

 the amoebic and catarrhal dysenteries, none of these forms were en- 

 countered in Taytay. 



The cholera spirillum which was sought for carefully was not found in 

 the water from any of the wells, although several species of vibrios were 

 isolated from some of them. Had one of the wells been infected wit1i the 

 cholera spirillum, there would almost certainly have been an epidemic 

 of this disease in the town, whereas during the three months but nine 

 cases of cholei'a occurred. The stools of 80 individuals who had been in 

 contact with these cholera cases were examined for the cholera spirillum, 

 but in no case was this organism found. The result was somewhat differ- 

 ent from that obtained in Manila and in the vicinitv where this disease 



