11" 



THE NATIOXAL GEOGRAPHIC AIAGAZIXE 



community find it the surest and most 

 convenient means of protection. 



WHAT HAPPENED IN THE RECLAMATION- 

 SERVICE 



The United States Reclamation Serv- 

 ice decided to use the typhoid prophy- 

 lactic early in the year among its field 

 force, which is scattered over a large 

 area in the West. It was not made com- 

 pulsory, but circulars were sent to the 

 various camps describing the treatment 

 and the results obtained in the army. 

 One of the circulars contained the fol- 

 lowing ingenious pronouncement : 



Tj^phoid fever can be prevented. 



You can aid by being vaccinated. 



Prevention beats the phj^sician and under- 

 taker. 



Healthy persons may have typhoi'd tomorrow. 



Only those vaccinated or who have had t)^- 

 phoid are immune. 



Immunity lasts three years. 



Don't hesitate. Volunteer today. 



Over 500 persons volunteered for the 

 treatment. Shortly after this an epi- 

 demic of typhoid fever broke out in the 

 town of Malta, Montana, most of the 

 cases developing in a hotel, where four 

 of the Reclamation Service men were 

 taking their meals. Of these four one 

 had refused to be vaccinated, one had 



had typhoid fever, and two were immu- 

 nized by vaccination. The unvaccinated 

 man contracted a severe case of the dis- 

 ease, the other three escaping. The se- 

 quel was that the townspeople made ar- 

 rangements to secure a supply of the 

 A'accine. 



The recent illness from typhoid of the 

 third baseman of the Washington base- 

 ball team (which resulted, some assert, 

 in the loss of a pennant) calls attention 

 to the importance of immunizing all pro- 

 fessional baseball players. The vaccina- 

 tion of all school children is especially 

 recommended, as they bear the treatment 

 rather better than adults. 



SOME PROPER PRECAUTIONS 



As the typhoid bacillus can live but a 

 limited time in water, soil, and other 

 substances, it is obvious that if new pol- 

 lution is not added from time to time 

 epidemics will be prevented. The gen- 

 eral use of the prophylactic will, prob- 

 ably, extinguish the disease, since the 

 vaccination of an entire community ab- 

 solutely prevents the "carriers" and all 

 others from giving off the typhoid ba- 

 cilli, and the focus from which new in- 

 fection would ordinarily radiate is elimi- 

 nated. 



