Oregon Republican. [volume] (Dallas, Or.) 1870-1872, 1871-03-25
Hew the Scarlet Fever is Spread.

The enormous morality from scarlet
fever which appears in the Registrar
Generals mortality bills, is now con-
stant and increasing quantity. 1t is
assuming proportions which are alarm
ing; not the less so, because they are
largely Increased by individual curless-
ness. 1t has always been u source of
great mortality and. in the absence of
ahy means of checking its progress,
such as we possess in vaccination tor
small pox and by attention to the water
supply and drainage for cholera and
some forms of pythogenic fever, it be
comes the more necessary accurately to
investigate the means by which it is
spread. These may be summe1 up chief
ly in few words. 1t is spread by per-
sonal carlessness, by neglect, and by
recklessness of individuals as to the
public safety. Scarlet fever is propa-
gated from person to person by culpa-
bic ignorance and criminal neglect.
Cleanliness and general sanitary. .regula-
tions are of use in mitigating the
severity of the disease, bat are no bar
to its propagation Let us take the ex,
perience of one London physician du>
ring the last week, and it will easily ex
plain how scarlet fever is now being
spread. He tells US that he has be-
come cognizant of the following
cases during that time. Travelling by
rail, he was requested not to put down
the window, as little boy in the car
riage was not very we'll. The boy was
on his way home from a school where
the scarlet fever had broken out and
on examining him, the eruption was full
ly evident. A clergyman brought into
his room lad, not to consult him about
the lad, but Inadvertently. He was
about to take him into the country
This lad had just recovered from scar
let fever, and was in the stage of con-
valescence, shedding about those scales
which are so highly infectious, and are
enough to poison the whole population.
His washer-woman had scarlet fever,
in her family; he asscertained that it
was conveyed by the clothing of scar
let fever patient, sent to the wash by
the friends without any caution. These
are all acts of the most cupable and
dangerous negligence. Scarlet fever is
q most intensely aud continuously y conta-
gious disease From the outset of the
disease till the completion of the sub
sequent process of peeling of skin, the
patient, his clothing and discharges.
and the light scales which are dffused in
the atmosphere from his peeling surface
skin, are pregnant with poison Not only
should he be carefully isolated; not on
ly should his clothing and all that comes
in contact with him becarefully and tho
roughly disinfected; not only should his
body be anointed, as Dr. Budd has re-
commended, with oil to limit the cereal
diffusion of the epidermal scales but the
utmost care should be exercised by the
persons attending him not to become
carriers of this virulent and subtle poi
son. To send to the laundress garments
fatal as those of Dejanira, to expose in
o public carriage or crowded waiting
room the fertile sources of deadly
and volatile poison and terrible offences
against the public safety. They are
constantly and carelessly committed; and
it is thus that scarlatina is spread
British Medical journal.
- IL L.