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Typhoid Rates and the Public Acquisition of Private Waterwork, 1880–1920

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2009

Werner Troesken
Werner Troesken
Affiliation:
Werner Troesken is National Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, Stanford CA 94305-6010.
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Abstract

Progressive-Era reformers claimed typhoid, a waterborne disease, was more prevalent in cities with private water companies than in cities with public water companies. This article tests this claim for the 1880 to 1920 period. The evidence suggests private companies invested in water filters more often than public companies, and that switching from private to public provision of water did little to improve typhoid rates.

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Type
Articles
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The Journal of Economic History , Volume 59 , Issue 4 , December 1999 , pp. 927 - 948
Copyright
Copyright © The Economic History Association 1999

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