TYPHOID, PARATYPHOID AND DYSENTERY CARRIERS AMONG RETURNING OVERSEAS TROOPS

Circular 69, issued in February, 1919, by the chief surgeon of the American Expeditionary Forces stated that during the autumn and early winter of 1918 the incidence of typhoid and paratyphoid fevers among the American troops overseas had shown a noteworthy increase. More than 874 cases of typhoid and paratyphoid were reported between October 1 and February 1. This number, while not large in itself, represented an unexpected degree of infection among vaccinated individuals. The questions that presented themselves were: What percentage of the convalescents would become chronic carriers, and to what extent would these returning troops prove a menace to the home population?

It was therefore planned to examine the stools of a sufficient number of returning troops to include members of practically all divisions and at the same time to reduce the percentage of error. This laboratory seemed to be particularly well adapted for this purpose, not only