TYPHOID FEVER IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 



By Weston P. Chamberlain.^ 



{From the United States Army Board for the Study of Tropical Disease as they 

 Exist in the Philippine Islands.) 



Part I. Prevalence and Distribution of Ttphoid Fever in the 



Philippines. 

 Part II. Laboratory Investigations of Typhoid Feveb in the 



Philippines. 

 Part III. Clinical Aspects of Typhoid Fever in the Philippines. 

 Part IV. A Study of Recent Typhoid Epidemics in the Philippines. 

 Pabt V. Conclusions. 



PART I. PREVALENCE AWD DISTRIBUTION OF TYPHOID FEVER IN THE 



PHILIPPINES. 



introduction. 



From December 1, 1908, to date of this writing (April 30, 1911) 

 the Board for the Study of Tropical Diseases has been making for 

 the Philippines Division the routine blood cultures and Widal examina- 

 tions on the military patients suspected of having typhoid fever and, 

 also, making for convalescents the cultural examinations of the stools 

 and urine which are required before a soldier who has had typhoid is 

 allowed to return to duty. For nearly all cases in which we obtained 

 positive laboratory findings a clinical history has been furnished to 

 the Board. From this laboratory and clinical material we have been 

 able to learn much of interest as regards typhoid in the Philippine 

 Islands. 



The greater part of our material for blood culture comes from a considerable 

 distance, the time consumed en route varying from a day to several weeks. 

 The same applies to the stool and urine specimens, and, furthermore, these 

 excretions are not sent for diagnostic purposes but only to determine that the 

 convalescent is not a bacillus carrier. Therefore, the cultural examinations in 

 a large proportion of our cases are negative. It follows that for diagnostic 

 purposes we must depend mainly on the serum reaction. Recently antityphoid 



' Major, Medical Corps, United States Army, president of the United States 

 Army Board for the Study of Tropical Diseases as they Exist in the Philippine 

 Islands. 



299 



