Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1853-10-19
Scarlet Fever:

Scarlet Fever:
wHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF ITS DREAD
FUL FATALITY? HAS MEDICINE ANY
CONTROL OVER 1T?
8The following on Scarlet Fever from the
&ALPRL, By EDWARD IL. Dixon, should DO
4 Rad by every parent and other person having
Il he care Of children. No Physician would
|4Wesume to accuse the author of quackery, for
'he is an acknowledged "tather of medicine -
The existence of an atmospheric and
Hfbfsciious disease, depending upon I'M
Known causes of very fatal character,
attackirg almost exclusively those in the
very morning of life, is but too we'll "a
daptcd to enlist the sympathies of our
hearts, TO insure right use Of the head
ID the Investigation of the symptoms it
produce, and its awfully fatal character.
As these are all the means we possess
ID determining the serious questions we
propose te consider, it behooves us TO
Be quite sure that we properly awaken
the reasoning faculty Of the general
rsader, and whilst we present him with
10 hypothesis TO crafty pride of opin-
b., supply him with enough Of such add
fnittea facts as will insure an intelligent
appreciation Of the true merits OF the
question Of its treatment, respecting
Which, it grieves us TO say, there is a
great variety Of opinion in our profess
Their are two points in the history
Of this disease which most impressive
" arrest the attention of the physician,
apd they must be made to appeal with
eqnal force to the general reader, even
Before we give The characteristic appear
aloes and symptoms Of the disease for
On them depends the justice of our
strictures on the routine treatment Of
the day.
The first is, that III some seasons and
districts, the disease shows itself from
the very commencement, in very mild
form; mothers calling it the "scarlet
bash" and "scarIatina y this latter be-
ing the name used by physicians 10 ex-
press the general disease itself and not
the degree or type. Scarlet rash, al
udes of course to the redness of the
skin; and scarlatina, indicates, as pa
rents suppose, very simple affection
quie different from scarlet fever, which
they are apt 10 associate exclusively
with the swollen and liberated throat
that so often marks the fatal character
Of the higher type of the disease. This
as entirely erroneous, and may lead to
4 Indifference and death: The disease be-
ping Infectious and generally attacking
saIl the younger members of the family
awho have not had it, Often affords sad
opportunities to prove that it originates
always from one kind of poison whatev-
er it may be: one child will have so
slight an attack, perhaps mere redness
IFOf tie skin and no throat affection al all ;
s that he will not even consent TO go to bed,
\ whilst another will be attacked as early
as the second day in the most virulent
manner, with all the throat mptoms,
and IN few days--even two or three,
will if subjected to the usual purgative,
pass into a typhoid state, from which no
stimulation can arouse him, and death
by suffocation will rapidly close the
scene. We have placed this admitted
fact first, because it has everything to
do with the remarks we shall have to
make on the treatment OF the disease,
and our perhaps somewhat singular in
PRODUCTION.
With regard to the manner of IFS or
igin, we have simply to say, we know
nothing about it, any more than of lnea-
sles or whooping cough: still there is
here also fact, that in our humble view
Positively proves it to be of constant re-
Organization in various parts of the
country, Notwithstanding its also proved
infectious character, 1t is continually
appearing like the measles in places
hundreds of miles apart, where there
Is known TO have been no intercourse
Whatever between the children, or the
parents; we mention the latter, because
'nOugh adults rarely take it, in CONNER
cal HE there is much travelling, and
small pox it is proved may be carried in
letter thousands of miles. The
.PneFe OF infection in scarlet fever,
."efe Is good reason to suppose does not
t e.a beyond the sick room, or the ex-
ns.all0ns of the affected person it can
, 'v' Oe carried far by clothing of visi-
y. Inc open air is known to dissipate
Nv NV, mere is nothing unreasonable or
or;9. '0@o'e IN the idea, that disease,
Sar s''9'ns entirely in atmospheric or
~on ,a,'5yo electric influences, may be-
'D' 10 concentrated by receiving some