The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1853-04-25
Infestious Diseases and sanatory Reguia-
lions.

deadly enemy we tremble in fear. When we
behold its ravages we shrink in terror. At its
relentless progress from home to home we
gaze in panic-strcken imbecility. The ra-
tional and practical views that guide Us upon
all other subjects are lost sight of in connexior
with this. We seem to cover beneath the
DEGREES of Fate as abjectly as do the most
gloomy devotees of Islam. Wonderful as this
is it is strictly true.
Let us examine the facts. A member of a
family is stricken down by disease. After ex-
haustlng all the remedies known to themselves,
the family usually send for their physician.
He examines the patient and informs him that
he has the smallpox. The family are terrified.
They cannot fly the danger and forsake the af-
1icted one. They cannot publish the cause Of
their sorrow, for that would cause their house
to be almost wholly deserted, and themselves
to be Stunned in the public thoroughfares.
They cannot, if they would, remove their
sick relative to an in6rmary, for such
patients are wisely excluded therefrom.
They cannot remove him to an isolated
and comfortable hospital for patients of this
peculiar class, for such a refuge is seldom or
never provided, nor would the members of all
families assent to such measure. They can
only struggle to subdue their terror, to conceal
its cause, and mutely to await the termination.
And thus the sufferer goes through his course,
to recovery or death, often but imperfectly at
tended and provided for, no means whatever
being used to prevent the diffusion of his hor-
rid and loathsome disease. What wonder that
many others should soon be seized with it, Or
is it not strange, rather, that its career is so
limited as it usually is!
In view of the wretched character of this
disease, of its great fatality, and of its constant
tendency to propagate itself throughout all the
habitations of man, we assume that no expense,
falling within the range of our possible re-
sources, should be withheld from the consum-
nation of any plan by means of which the
evils we speak of may be avoided or mitigated;
and least of all should we scruple to defray the
very limited expense required by the simple
methods we beg leave to suggest, and which
we regard as adequate to the purpose.
Smallpox, in its early stages, or prior to the
sixth day, we are assured by medical writers,
is not infectious. From the period therefore,
of its sufficient development to convince any
intelligent physician of its character, to the in
fective stage, there is always ample time for a
successful resort to any judicieus measures de-
signed and provided for such cases, by means
of which the feelings of friends, the comfort of
the patient, and the. safety of the community
may all be respected.
We would then recommend, in the first
place, that near each city an appropriate site
should be selected, and long elevated build
ing erected for the purposes Of a hospital for
patients afflicted with infectious diseases. The
details in the planning and administration of
such an establishment may be safely entrusted
to medical commission. We will simply re-
mark that no expense should be regarded that
could enhance its efficiency.
But in the absence of such an institution, or
to meet the case of those refusing to avail
themselves of its advantages, other and ample
provisions should be made; and we therefore
submit the following recommendations:
L. A penalty should be imposed by the city
authorities upon any hotel or clearinghouse
keeper or head of family who shall fail to
inform the President ofthe Board of Health of
the existence of any case of infectious disease
upon his premises within twenty four hours
after its development.
g. There should be an executive officer,
acting under the direction of the Board of
Health, whose duty it should be (and in whom
should be vested adequate power to visit the
house and the apartment occupied by any such
patient Immediately upon notice being given to
the President of the Board, and, under the
fear of certain penalties, obedience to the COM
mands of this officer should be exacted of the
persons having charge of the house.
3. This officer should forthwith cause the
patient to be placed in the highest suitable
apartment in the house. He should cause
every article of furniture and clothing, not
required, to be Immediately removed from this
apartment, and every thing, whether fuel, bed
and bedding, furniture, medicines, lights, food,
&c., deemed necessary by the physician, to
gether with the services of competent nurse,
if needed, to be procured.
a. He should be required to visit each cham
Der thus brought under his charge, daily, un-
til the removal of the patient from it, either
by death OF. total recovery.
5. At this point of time it should be his
duty to burn to ashes the bed and bedding and
all other things used by the patient during his
illness, in which the contagion might possibly
be conveyed to others; and should any such
article be removed and its destruction be thereby
suitable penalty should be infict-
ed upon the head of such family.
6. A penalty should be imposed upon the
or, if minor, upon his parents,
should he visit any public place, or walk in
any street, before receiving permission from
the President of the Board of Health to do SO.
7. In the event of the death of any such
patient, whether by day or night, the family |
should be required, under a penalty, to give
notice to the officer above designated within |
one hour thereafter.
8. The said officer should instantly there
upon cause the patient to be placed in me-
talic coffin, having glass in its lid over the |