THE TYPHOID EPIDEMIC.

Cromwell Argus, Volume V, Issue 235, 12 May 1874, Page 5

THE TYPHOID EPIDEMIC.

i Dr Coughtrey, the medical gentleman appointed by his Honor the Superintendent to visiti Cromwell for the purpose of- reporting oh the disease which for the last three or four mcfn'ttis* has' prevailed to so great an extent in this district, arrived last Friday morning. He lost no time in getting to work, and during Friday and'parti of Saturday, was entirely engaged in making the enquiries and collecting the information necessary to the fulfilment of his duty ; inspecting every part of the town, and on Saturday visiting one or two of the nearest outlying districts in which fever had also shown itself. He left Cromwell by the Saturday afternoon's coach. Before his departure, at his request the Town Council was called together, that he might address them on the subject, anticipating for their benefit, to some extent, the information which will be contained in his report. The meeting was called for two o'clock, and at that hour the Mayor and all the Councillors assembled in the Town-hall.

Dr Conghtrey being introduced to the Conned by the Mayor, said, as was known to them, he had been sent bv his Honor the Superintendent to report generally upon the epidemic that was afflicting their town, and to suggest proper means to remove it. There was no doulit at all, he might "Bay, that the character of the fever was typhoid, and.tlv;tof a pure type ; while there could be as little, doubt that it arose from the bad sanitary condition of the town. He had gone carefully into the matter, seeing everything for himself ; allowing himself to be influenced in no wise by the opinion of others. And he was sorry to say that things from a sanitary point of view were in a deplorable condition. The drainage and water-supply were matters needing immediate attention. An examination into these nutters showed him facts and circumstances in connection with them that ought not to exist,. All along the course of the water-race supplying the town, he found closets above its level • and in one instance a privy was really within two feet of the The earth was of an exceedingly porous nature, and the matter from privies wormed its way into the water-race from which the town was supplied. Then the tanks put in at different parts of the race bv private oarties were in a verv dilapidated and unsatisfactory state. From the side of one of th'ise, he could positively scrape horse or cow manure. Others were nearly as bad ; the lids were broken and make-shifts made which allowed all kinds of filth and 7'ubbish to get into the tanks. The race at a Chinese garden outside the town also received a quantity of deleterious matter; and generally along its whole course it was open to all kinds of impurities. The Water, however, was not the primary cause of the epidemic, but no doubt helped it on. The drainage was what he would most particularly call attention to. From most of the houses, the sewage ran underneath the building, thence into a gutter running alongside, thence across the pavement into the open street-gutter, and thence down to the bridge. Along the bank of the Kawarku. the soil was full of animal matter ; and the infiltration had gone on so long, and to such an extent, that the soil was now overcharged,- and could deodorise no more. In one nlace on the bank, he saw sheep-bones and offal, which had no doubt been thrown there when the flesh was on them. . Typhoid fever was festered by conditions of this nature. No shigle place in the town, he believed he was correct in saving, contained any privy accommodation except of a cesspool nature, and all excrement and such fetid matter soaked into the ground. If these were cleaned out, the matter was thrown down the bank, or perhaps buried, in as close and convenient a spot as possible. This kind of thing had been allowed to go on, and the result was the breaking out of an epidemic. The general term for typhoid was autumnal or cesspool fever. It generated from effluvia and filth, in the first instance ; and no doubt spread by being carried from one part of the town to another in the clothes of persons and so on. The fever was not brought into the town : he had made enquiries, and could find nothing to warrant that opinion. It arose spontaneously, became contagions, and so had spread. It had existed more or less for three years in the district, and had always been more violent in the autumn, that is, in March, April, and May. He would speak of it more fully in his report of course, hut would now give a few hints as to how it might be abated, and its return prevented. He believed the Council had a set of bye-laws in existence, but through some legal informality, they could uot be put into operation. Something should bo done to this end at once. The inhabitants must resort to earth-closets; that was imperative. There was sure to be a return of the epidemic else. The earth used should bo of a loamy nature, and the boxes should be cleared frequently. It would be almost necessary to

employ a man |jo see that those directions wore fully carried out, ; Everywhere about the town, he saw a groat quantity of rubbiali ; old cloth, straw, old boots, and so forth. This should bo all collected, and burnt. The excrement of the sic]< and their linen should all be burnt at souio distance from the town ; beyond the cemetery, for instance. The water used by tho town should bo purified; and the speaker explained tho construction of a very simple filter lie had scon used, which would answer temporarily, It merely consisted "of a wooden box in the race, with a hole at one end ; tho filter being a couple of pieces of flannel, containing charcoal from woojd of a non-rcinous nature. The bank of the fvawarau required a copious application of chloride of Jime.... The. eoraping carried out by the Corporation was merely a surface scraping and more than that was required; A quantity of permanganate of potash, or as it isrgenerally called, Condy's Fluid, should be got; it was one of the best disinfectants, and would ho highly useful in washing out the tanks before admitting the filtered water. Some immediate steps should be taken to clean the race from where the water left the pipes, along the terrace to tho Clutha. It was in a very had state. He then went on to speak of the best source of water supply for Cromwell. The Lowburn creek water travelled too far through a pasturage country to reach Cromwell in a fit and proper state of purity. Firewood creek was in his opinion the best source of supply. It was close at hand ; there were natural advantages that could be utilised in building reservoirs to store the water ; and the, pressure to be obtained would not only be of value in case of fire, but would afford an opportunity of thoroughly cleansing back-yards and gutters. He thought, if care were taken to get a fair and'sufficient sample of the water for analysis, Ur Black's report on it might be of a more favourable nature; and he explained the best plan of takinp water from the creek m order to be sure that the sample was a fair °! ie , a ? <i of aver »ge purity, Dr (Jonghtrey concluded by saving that he would be awanting in his duty if he failed to give expression to his opinion that proper steps had not been taken by the Corporation to avert or remove the source of disease. Pigqeries and slaughteryards should have been removed, and the water-rjice cleared out long ago. Of course, at present he was onlv skimming the surface of things as it were; in his report to the Superintendent he would 3,0 deeper into particulars. He had tried to do his duty thoroughly, but possibly there were matters which the Council might give him information, and he would be hapnv to listen to any suggestions, or answer any questions. Doubtless he would visit Cromwell again, and he hoped on that occasion to see a better and more healthy condition of things. The Town Clerk would remind Dr Coughtrev that the town-race ran through private property, and some difficulty might therefore he experienced in getting persons to remove their waterclosets.

Dr Conghtrey was glad of the information. He had forgotten to make mention of one matter. Was it not possible to construct a large sewer along the bank of the Kawarau, and another on the face of the terrace, the two meeting at the junction of the two rivers, and discharging at low water mark ? This, he thought, would be an excellent sen erne of drainage. A not her assi stin? cause of the fever, he might mention, was the dryness of the climate. A French Commission, in 18-15, appointed to inquire into the causes of a verv sever" typhoid epidemic which had swep<France, noted that in dry weather typhoid war more markedly prevalent. If there were plenty of rain, soaking the ground and causing the ffmw'h of nlants, Mature had a chance to 'elieve herself. It was a theory in regard to .the origin of cholera and other diseases that excrement and such matter, being thrown out, becomes drv. and is carried in the air, giving r'se to an immense amount of disease. He would press upon their notice the fact that the sickness was i great loss in a trade point of view ; people were shy of coming to tho town, which hod a bad name on every side, lie would give a plain statement in his report of the state of things he had found existing, and of the measures necessarv to improve the condition of the town. He did not know how the Council stood in regard to pecuniar/ matters ; bftt perhaps his report would act as a kind of lever on the Government in the way of inducing them to aid the Corporation in carrying out such works as might be decided upon.

In answer to Or Jolly, Dr Oonghbrey said he certainty'thought the proposed manure depot was too near the town.; it should lie at least quarter of a mile bevotid the cemetery. The high winds so prevalent in the district would remove even the eighteen inches of noil—such ay it was—with which it was proposed to cover the manure ; the manure would he blown into the race, and thus would to an extent become the food of animals instead of plants, as Nature intended. There were grasses which won hi hind the soil and prevent it from being blown about as at present, greatly to the detriment of cleanliness and health ; the seed might bo obtained at very trifling coat. A plain he knew in SouthWest Lancashire, which ten years ago was quite useless, beta" so sandy and 'dry, now gave a revenue of £3OOO a year ; aud this happv change had been brought about by sowing such grasses as he had spoken of. CrJollyaskedifohjectionsmightnot he raised by towns lower down the Molynenx if drainage were discharged, ns he suggested, iuto that river ? No doubt, said Dr Coughtrey, there would be objections ; but from his knowledge of the river and the towns on its banks, he thought the only town which cool 1 in justice complain was that at the mouth of the river—Port Molvnenx. Or Shanly said' the Lowbnrn water had been' used by Oomwell for the ln.pt eleven yea/a, and the health of the inhabitants had never previously suffered.— Dr Coughtrey cxnlained thai the water, as he had said, did not cause the disease ; it only contributed to its continuance. The primary and real cause was the existence <>f nnmnceg and cesspools. Or Jolly BU£r<?ested to Dr Cou-jhtrovtbat in his report he should give statistics of the mortality of Cromwell from venr to jear.—Dr Couxdit'-ey had arranged for this. 'Te might mention that from August ISfiS f oUay]S7l *Vrp. had been 77_rleaths in the district! of wh'ch 22, or onethird, had occurred within the last, ten weeks Cromwell was in a healthy situation, and if proper care had been taken, should certainly have scaped this epidemic. The habile of tho people

were no doubt nun of the main predisposing causes to this fevor. Ho need hardly tell thoni of tho fact that some of the fnmilioß in the town did not posaoßS a privy at all; and'tltis was not a proper state of things whore ihildremvore running about. It would no impossible almost to specify tho varieties of tilth that tho race was bound to receive in its passage through the town. Ho had seen a drove of pigs the previous evening at the Chinese garden he had mentioned ; and though he believed they only remained thoro for the night while passing through, still it was a fact that they were thoro. J hicks and geese also roamed about, and an open race was hound to receive their attention. In con no jtion with tho subject of mortality statistics, he had arranged to visit tho Punstan Hospital, so that he Would be in possession of very full information on this head. Auolherm-ittor to which he would direct attention was the condition of the stables in the town. Piggeries and slaughter-yards they could remove ; but stables they could not. In towns in England and other countries, stables wore compelled to have a lligjed pool in which to temporarily store manure, so flagged that no soakatfo could take place. These things required attending to more particularly where the sand was so loose, and porous, as in this town. Cromwell was not alone in its suffering from this epidemic ; Auckhnd was affected in a similar way, and well deserved to be so.

A question having been asked as to the treatment of patients, Dr Conghtrey paid a high compliment to the skill of the local medical men, and expressed himself persuaded of the wisdom of thci>- treatment. The average mortality in such diseases was one in seven ; and the average in Cromwell had been much less. Cr Grant wished to know why, if the disease was of a contagious nature, and liable to be carriedfforn place to place in a person's clothes, the inhabitants had not been informed of it, ao that they might have taken precautions?—Dr i.'oughtrey said he was almost sorry he had been asked this question. He was now making inquiries how far any such warning had been given. Evidently there had been no official information, such as by letter to the Council, and he was not in a position to say to what extent warning had been given privately. Cr Jolly proposed, and Cr Shanly seconded, a vote of thanks to Dr Cough trey for the information he had just given them". They could all bear witness to the trouble he had- taken to acquire information in regard to this epidemic, and to the maimer in which he had gone about his duty, without fear or favour.—This was carried by acclamation, and the meeting then dispersed.