A Case of Impure Ice Poison. -- such was notably the case in an epidemic of intestinal disorder which occurred at the watering place of Rye Beach N. H. from the account of Dr. Nichols, who attended most of the patients, it seems that, early in the season, a mild form of disturbance of the stomach and bowels made its appearance among the guests of a particular hotel at his favorite summer resort. The symptoms were in general penis, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea and severe abdominal pain, accompanied by fever, loss of appetite and mental depression. The well and drainage system of the establishment, which had recently been put in complete water, was found almost faultless, and the milk supply of unquestionable purity; but on the attention of the physician being directed to the stock of ice provided for the guests, conclusive proof of its dangers quality was promptly obtained.
Additional Articles from the Book of Medicine:
- Cholera Due to Impure Water
Cholera Due to Impure Water. — among the remarkable outbreaks which goes to prove that this mode of cholera propagation is not at all uncommon, maybe mention the following, condensed from Mr. Simons eighth report as medical officer of the English privy Council, during the prevalence of cholera in England in 1865: A gentleman and his wife in the village of Theydon-Bois, and Essex, have been lodging at the town of Weymouth for two or three weeks, and returned home towards the end of
September. On their way home they pass through Dorchester, where the gentleman was seized with diarrhea, vomiting and cramps, which continued more or less during the next day in the day following, when he reached his own home. During the journey to wife also began complaining of pains in the abdomen, which was followed by diarrhea and eventually by cholera, from which she died.Here’s the first paragraph from Wikipedia on Cholera which I’m providing just as a simple contrast in the information level known now versus 100 years ago…
Cholera, sometimes known as Asiatic cholera or epidemic cholera, is an infectious gastroenteritis caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.[1][2] Transmission to humans occurs through ingesting food or water that is contaminated with cholera vibrios. The major reservoir for cholera was long assumed to be humans themselves, but considerable evidence exists that aquatic environments can serve as reservoirs of the bacteria. Vibrio cholerae is a Gram-negative bacterium that produces cholera toxin, an enterotoxin, whose action on the mucosal epithelium lining of the small intestine is responsible for the characteristic massive diarrhea of the disease.[1] In its most severe forms, cholera is one of the most rapidly fatal illnesses known, and a healthy person may become hypotensive within an hour of the onset of symptoms; infected patients may die within three hours if medical treatment is not provided.[1] In a common scenario, the disease progresses from the first liquid stool to shock in 4 to 12 hours, with death following in 18 hours to several days, unless oral rehydration therapy is provided.
That contrast in detail and accuracy is pretty amazing in and of it self. We live in an age where modern marvels in medical advancement such as the evolution from glasses to contact lenses to lasik corrective surgery demonstrate evolutionary and revolutionary change 3 times over. So it is no wonder that even when they were on the right track with a topic 100 years ago, the level of understanding was still exceptionally rudimentary.
- Typhoid Poison from a Well
Typhoid Poison from a Well. — in a report of the American public health Association, Dr. Austin Flynn gives an account of an outbreak of typhoid fever in Vermont which it was possible to trace, in the most circumstantial way, to the poisoning of a well in some such method as has been described. The young man traveling through the region by stagecoach was taken ill, and, when he could go no further, was left in a tavern and a little hamlet to be cared for, his illness soon proved to be typhoid fever. A small watercourse, a shallow valley, by the village into two portions, each of which consisted of half a dozen houses or less. In a few days new cases of the fever made their appearance in that part of the hamlet which the tavern along — every house, in fact, but one was invaded with this disease — whilst on the other side of the stream not a case occurred. It appears that the tavern well, which was the only one up on that side of the village, furnish the water supply to all the families belonging there but one. That one family had had a quarrel with the landlord of the hotel, and consequently deserted the tavern well for a more distant supply of drinking water, and so escape swallowing the specific poison of typhoid fever in the water by which all their neighbors were stricken down.
In case you’re wondering, typhoid fever is spread by people that shed typhoid bacteria area this can happen when they handle food or drinking water that other people consume, or when the bacteria is exhausted into a sewage system that contaminate the water supply. So it is possible that the people that became sick from typhoid fever in this example, became sick from close proximity with a very sick traveler, in addition to the pollution of that traveler with the water supply. We rarely think of these problems today when we book time in las vegas suites or at a beech cottage, but the bacteria could still be propogated by people handling food. This is one of the prime reasons why people should wash their hands. Due to water treatment procedures, we are currently fortunate to have less exposure to contaminated drinking water, however when sewer lines break in coastal areas and people swim in the ocean near these breaks, the risk could go up.
It is also very interesting to note, that in this passage a health association that Dr. Flynn worked with was noted as opposed to just a name. This is a distinct improvement, and I think the first time it has occurred in 158 pages!
- Colon Cleanser on Public Health Forum
Now I cover a lot of items that seem a little peculiar culturally speaking. Today, I happened across PublicHealthForums.com. One of their sub-forums is a Bowtrol Forum. People show up to the forum to get Bowtrol Reviews and try and decide whether or not they should Buy Bowtrol.
Now I mention this because one of the people visiting the form asked the perfectly logical question:
I have a question. I just ordered a two months supply. My husband is afraid to try the product during working hours. Will it cause discomfort during the day? Any cramping, diarrhea, or other extremes?
That is definitely a reasonable question for a colon cleanser. Culturally speaking I wonder what people will think about this type of Social Networking in the future. In many ways the Library of Health is a book that published the accumulated medical knowledge of the time to distribute to people around the country. It was a codification of medical practices and possibly word of mouth knowledge and herbal lore even.
Not so different than people coming together to work out a best practice solution for the usage of a medical product or treatment today.
