The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1871-03-17
Scarlet Fever.

From circular distributed i'm Lon
don, England, the Medical Gazette ex-
tracts the following directions for the
management of the sick room in cases
of scarlet fever and other contagious dis
orders. "1. On the first appearance of
the disease the patient should be placed
in separate apartment, as near the
top of the house as possible, from which
all curtains, carpets, bed hangings and
other needless articles of furniture
should be removed, and no person ex-
cept the medical attendant and the
nurse or mother permitted to enter the
room. 2 A basin containing q solution
of chloride of lime or carbolic acid
should be placed near the bed for the
patient to spit in. 3. A large vessel
containing water, into which has been
poured COndy's fluid or the solution of
chloride of soda or lime, should be kept
in the room and into this all the bed
and linen, as soon as it is removed
from the patient, and all solid towels,
ETC., should be placed; having been
kept here some time, the things may
be removed and sent to the laundress.
4. Pocket handkerchiefs should not be
used, but pieces Of rags employed in
stead, for wipiDg the mouth and nose
Of the patient; each piece, after being
once used should be Immediately burn
ed. 5. A plentiful supply of water and
towels should be kept for the nurse,
whose hands of necessity will become
soiled by the secretions of the patient;
i'm one hand-basin the water should be
impregnanted with Condy's fluid of
chlorides, by which the taint on the
hands may at once be removed. 8. All
glasses, cups, plates, or other vessels
used in the sick room should be scrupu-
lously cleaned in boiling water before
being used by other persons. 4. Out
side the doorof the sick room a sheet
should be suspended so as to cover the
doorway; this should be kept constant
ly wet with a solution of carbolic acid
or chloride of lime. The effect
of this will be to keep every other part
of the house I. ee from infection. 8.
The discharge from the bowels and
kidneys of the patient should be re-
ceived into vessels charged with dis
i'm nfectants, such as the solution of car
bolic acid or chloride of lime, and i'm
mediately removed. BY these means
the poison thrown off from internal
sui idCcS lChuClCu lHCAt oll0 uC-
prived of the power of propagating the
disease. 3. The thin skin or cuticle
which peels off from the hands, face
and other parts of the body in GONZALES
cent patients is highly contagious. The
plan recommended for preventing the
poison from the skin being disseminat
ed through the air is to rub oil or lard
over the skin. This practice is to COM
mence ON the fourth day after the ap-
pearance of the eruption, and to be
continued every day until the patient
is we'll 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 con-
sulting the medical attendant. The
foregoing directions will apply to all
kinds of fever, smallpox, and all other
contagious diseases. ]
The patient having been removed,
all linen articles, such as sheets, towels |
pillow-cases land body linen, are to be
disinfected as by direction No. 3. This |
done, the blankets, counterpanes and |
wooden articles of clothing are to be |
suspended OH lines, and the mattresses
and beds placed over the backs of
chairs; the furniture also Is to be re-
moved from the walls, the windows
closed, and paper pasted over the ere
vices; the chimney opening of the fire
place is also to be effectnally stopped
up. An old saucepan lid or other open
iron vessel is next to be placed in the
middle of the room, into which quar-
Ter of a Mound of stone brimestODe, bro I
ken into pieces, is to be put; and the
person who does it must Immediately
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 door 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
disinfected.