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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1891 | 1 |
| 1893 | 1 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 2 |
| 1903 | 1 |
| 1904 | 5 |
| 1909 | 2 |
| 1916 | 3 |
22 stories matching germ
- The Invisible Killer in Your Milk: Seattle’s Health Officer Warns of Tuberculosis Cows
With consumption rates soaring and no dedicated veterinary inspector on staff, local officials admit the city is dangerously unprepared to stop diseased cattle from entering the food supply.
- The Shadow of Infantile Paralysis
As a polio outbreak grips the nation, public health officials in 1916 offer desperate, homespun advice to anxious mothers.
- Tacoma's Women Take On the Bakers Over Wrapped Bread
A committee of pure-food reformers and a dozen bakers squared off before the city council's health committee over an ordinance requiring bread be wrapped — with more than 1,000 women enlisted behind the fight.
- The Day Smallpox Walked the Streets: How One Man’s Ignorance Sparked Spokane’s Deadliest Epidemic
A drunk man wandering through downtown Spokane with a rash on his face nearly triggered a disaster that killed hundreds—until a sharp-eyed pharmacist stepped in.
- Rabid Coyotes Put the Whole Columbia Valley on Edge
State College confirmed hydrophobia in a hog’s head from a Richland-area ranch, prompting dog quarantines and warnings that unusually bold coyotes could spread the disease through the valley.
- The Hidden Killer in Tacoma's West End
A local health inspector finds a dairy operating in conditions 'too filthy for belief,' threatening a typhoid epidemic for families across the district.
- An Alarming Rise in Typhoid Cases
Public alarm grows in Tacoma as local health officials downplay a spike in illness, suggesting citizens boil their water while avoiding any official critique of the city's water supply.
- Typhoid Outbreak Traced to Wapato Creek Dairies
City and state health officials issue urgent sanitation ultimatum to local dairymen after tracing typhoid fever cases to contaminated creek water.
- The Wild West of Early Seattle Journalism
A satirical look at the cutthroat world of 19th-century newspaper rivalries, where publishers fought for paper stock and traded insults through print.
- The City’s Dirty Secret: A Plea for Seattle’s Health
In 1870, a local editorial warns that Seattle’s lack of sewage infrastructure is poisoning the community with disease, urging citizens to prioritize public health over fiscal caution.
- The Great Canal Dream of 1887
A visionary project to link Lake Union and Lake Washington promises to turn Seattle into a fresh-water harbor, revolutionizing the lumber industry and securing the city's future.
- City Water Supply Cleared of Typhoid Rumors
Local officials and the state health department address public anxiety following a small cluster of typhoid cases, confirming the city's water supply is safe.
- The Typhoid Warning from Salem
Walla Walla is warned against the dangers of Mill Creek water after an epidemic in Salem, Oregon, exposes the failures of filtration.
- The Smallpox Scare of 1880
When a woman was quarantined in the local pest house for suspected smallpox, local doctors sparred over whether her condition was actually a common venereal disease.
- A Fireproof Infirmary for the Poor
After city officials refused to participate in a joint facility, the county moves forward with plans for a specialized, fireproof hospital at the poor farm.
- South Tacoma’s Quest for Clean Water
City officials prepare to test new artesian wells, aiming to replace a water supply plagued by 'foul drainage' and contamination.
- Typhoid Fears in the West End
Tacoma health officials move to contain a potential outbreak linked to a local milk provider.
- The Silent Killer in Our Homes
Dr. L. O. Howard, Chief of the U.S. Bureau of Entomology, warns Tacoma citizens that the common housefly is a deadly vector for disease.
- There's "Dough" in Every Street Contract: A Preacher Takes On City Hall
Rev. Napoleon Hoagland reads the nation's municipal record aloud — reeking streets, a million-dollar franchise given away, councilmen who elsewhere would count themselves lucky to stay out of prison — and asks why democratic America breeds more thieves than the Tsar's Europe.
- The Invisible Army Under the Microscope
A scientific lecture delivered in Snohomish contemplates the origins of life, the invisible world of bacteria, and the processes of decay.
- The Filth on Ritzville's Back Streets
A stern warning to city officials and residents that neglected alleys are brewing a public health crisis for the summer months.
- The Dangerous Habit of Ignoring Contagion
An 1886 editorial warns Seattle residents against the 'criminal' practice of visiting neighbors and public schools while carrying the germs of diphtheria and scarlet fever.
Also about this, in other words
- The Bachelor Plague: A Warning to Women Considering Washington Territory
A satirical column in the Waterville Empire warns Eastern women that the territory is overrun with 'horrid bachelors,' urging them to come anyway for the climate and soil.
- The Invisible Milky Way in a Glass of Wine
A scientific lecture from 1878 explores the 'vital ether' and the microscopic life forces that drive fermentation.
- The Anatomy of a Political Glutton
A satirical 1885 editorial dissecting the sudden, transformation of humble private citizens into greedy 'Ins' once they secure public office in Washington territory.
- The War Egg of Monroe
An ambitious local hen lays an egg that causes a stir and is interpreted as a wartime omen.
- The Town's Pest House Dilemma
A Garfield official and a local doctor clash over who should pay for a young man's post-quarantine clothing.
- The Agnostic Sermon at St. Mark's
A clergyman challenges the rising tide of skepticism and materialistic 'dogmatism' in 1893 Seattle.
- A Silent Health Crisis in the Classroom
A survey of White Bluffs schools reveals widespread goitre among children, prompting a state-led push for iodine treatment.
- The Great Garden Plague of 1889
A voracious 'brown worm' army descends on Seattle, wiping out local vegetable patches and leaving residents desperate for a solution.