Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1871-01-12
SCARLET FEVER.
Precautions to be Adopted to Lessen the
Spread Of the Disease e--Disinfecting
the Sick Room.

UTSSdtuOuS " bO HooptSu " GSoSCb the
Spread Of the Disease -Disinfecting
the Sick Room.
From a circular distributed in
London, Eng, the Medical Gazette
extracts the following directions
for the management of the sick room
in cases of scarlet fever and other
contagious disorders, and they are
republished by us at the request OF
many physicians of our city:
l. On the first appearances of the
disease the patient should be placed
in a seperate apartment, as near the
top of the house as possible, from
which all curtains, carpets, ,bed-hang-
ings and other needless articles of
furniture should be removed, and
no person except the medical attend
ant and the nurse or mother permit
ted to enter the room. 2. A basin
containing solution of chloride of
lime or carbolic acid should be
placed near the bed for the patient
to spit in. 3. A large vessel con
tanning water, into which has been
poured either Condy's fluid or the
solution of chloride of soda or lime,
should be kept in the room, and in
to this all the bed and body linen,
as soon as it is removed from the
patient, and all soiled towels, ETC.,
should be placed; having been kept
there some time, things may be re-
moved and sent to the laundress.
4. Pocket handkerchiefs should not
be used, but pieces of rags employ
ed instead, for wiping the mouth and
nose of the patient; each piece
after being once used, should be i'm
mediately burned. 5. A plentiful
supply of water and bowls should
be kept for the nurse, whose hands,
of necessity, will become soiled by
the secretions of the patient. In
one hand basin and water should be
impregnated with Condy's fluid or
chlorides, by which the taint on the
hands may be at once removed. 6.
All glasses, cups, plates or other
vessels used in the sick room should
be scrupulously cleaned in boiling
water before used by other persons.
7. Outside the door of the chamber
a sheet should be suspended so as
to coxer the doorway; this should
be kept constantly wet with a solu-
ton of .carbolic acid or chloride of
lime. The effect of this will be to
keep every other part of the house
free from infection. 8. The dis
charge from the bowels and kidneys
of the patient should be received
into vessels charged with disinfcct-
ants, such as the solution of car
bolic acid or chloride of lime, and
Immediately removed.
By this means the poison thrown
off from internal surfaces may be
rendered inert, and deprived of the
power of propagating the disease.
9. The thin skin or cuticle which
peels Off the hands, face and other
parts of the body in convalescent
patients, is highly contagious. The
plan recommended for preventing
the poison from the skin being di-
seminated through the air is to rub
oil or lard all over the skin. This
practice is to commence on the
fourth day after the appearances of
the eruption, and to be continued
every day until the patient is well
enough to take a warm bath. These
baths should be administered every
other day for four times, when the
disinfection of the skin may be re-
garded as complete. This, however.
should not be done without first
consulting the medical attendant.
The foregoing directions will apply
to all kinds of fever, small-pox,a
other contagious diseases.
The patient having been removed,
all linen articles, such as sheets,
towels, pillow-cases, and body linen
are to be disinfected as by direction
No. 8. This done, the blankets,
counterpanes and woolen articles Of
clothing are to be suspended on
lines, and the mattresses and beds
placed over the backs of
chairs, the furniture also is to be
removed from the walls, the windows
closed, and paper pasted over the
crevices; the chimney opening Of
the fireplace is also to be effectually
stopped up. An old saucepan lid
or other open iron vessel
is next to be placed in the
middle Of the room, into which
quarter of a pound of stone brim-
stone is then to be ignited, and the
person that does it must immediate
ly leave the apartment, close the
door, and paste paper over the
crevices. At the expiration of
twenty-four hours the room may be
entered, and the doors and windows
thrown open to allow the fumes of
sulphur to escape. BY this process
the room and everything in it may
be considered to have been thor
oughly disinfected.