TYPHOID FEVEE IX DISTKICT OF COLUMBIA. 
11 
Li accordance with this request the Surgeon-General detailed the 
undersigned board of officers to convene July 2 , 1906, for the purpose 
of making an mvestigation of the origin and prevalence of typhoid 
fever hi the District of Columbia. 
The work soon proved to be of such complexity that it was foimd 
necessaiA' to brmg to our aid the followmg officers of the Laboratory, 
some of whom were specially detailed to the Laboratory by the 
Surgeon-General for this purpose, namely. Passed Assistant Surgeon 
Jolm F. Anderson, Passed Assistant Surgeon W. TV. King, Passed 
Assistant Surgeon Joseph Goldberger, Passed Assistant Surgeon 
Baylis H. Earle, Assistant Singeon Aithiir M. Stimson, Assistant 
Surgeon Xorman Roberts, and Ch. TVardell Stiles, Ph. D. In fact, 
diirmg the past summer almost the entire force of the Hygienic Labo- 
ratory concentrated its energies on this problem. 
These mvestio^ations have mcluded a sanitarv survev of the Potomac 
watershed; an exhaustive epidemiological study of^the 866 cases of 
the disease occurrmg hi the District of Columbia between Jime 1 and 
October 31, 1906 : daily chemical and bacteriological examinations of 
the water supply ; a special study of the pumps, wells, and springs hi 
the District, and also of bottled waters sold hi TVashhigton; an 
inspection of the dairies and laboratory examinations of the milk 
supply; an inspection of the ice factories; chemical and bacteriolog- 
ical examhiations of a number of samples of ice, as well as the water 
from which the ice is made; and the niakino: of blood cultures, diazo 
and TVidal reactions for practicing physicians hi the District. The 
cpiestion of shellfish, salads, fruits, and other raw food products in 
relation to the disease has also been studied. Further, special atten- 
tion has been directed to the communicability of the disease from 
person to person, by direct or hidirect contact. The relation of 
privies and sewers to wells has also been hivestigated, and the question 
of flies and other insects as carriers of hifection has received attention. 
The bathing beach and public markets have been hispected from 
time to time. Fhially, in the division of zoology many specimens of 
feces have been examined hi order to determine the possible relation 
of anhiial parasites to the disease. 
The results reached in this investigation, together with the con- 
elusions and recommendations arrived at by the board, are given in 
the general summary of this report. In addition to the sunmiarized 
statement, detailed reports, giving the data upon which the conclu- 
sions and recommendations are based, are also submitted. 
On accoimt of the difficulties and magnitude of the problem it was 
the desire of the Surgeon-General, as well as of the board, to continue 
these investigations over an entire year. However, in view of existing 
conditions it seems desirable to publish our data and conclusions in 
