St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-10-19

from the patient, should be at once
placed in hot water. Pocket handker-
chiefs should be laid aside, and in their
stead soft pieces of linen or cotton cloth
should be used, and at once burned
Disinfectants should always be placed
in the vessel containing the expectora-
ton, and may be used somewhat freely
in the sick room those being especial
ly useful which destroy bad odors with
out causing Others (nitrate of lead, chlo-
ride of zinc, etc.,
In schools there should be especial
supervision, as the disease is often so
mild in its early stages as not to attract
common attention; and no child should
be allowed to attend school from an in
fected house, until allowed to do so by
competent physician. In the case of
young children, all reasonable care
should be taken to prevent undue ex-
posure to the cold. Pure water for
drinking should be used, avoiding con-
taminated sources of supply ventila-
tion should be insisted on, and local
drainage must be carefully attended
| to. In country towns, privies and cess
pools should be frequently emptied, and
disinfected slop water should not be
dllOWcu W SOCth lntO tuC outldCC VI UuC
ground near dwelling houses, and the
cellars should be kept dry and sweet.
In cities, especially in tidal districts,
basins, baths, ETC., as now connected
with drains, should never communicate
directly with sleeping rooms. In view
of the fact that the majority of our
houses are improperly supplied with
local drainage, and that this is probably
at least as great source of disease as
bad sewers in view of the fact, too,
that many cities are likely to appoint
boards of health by virtue of the author
ity conveyed upon them by chapter l3a
of the acts of the General Court of 1877,
the board desire to call attention to
the following important section of thai
act:
'Sect. 5. Said boards of health, and
the board of health of the city of Bos-
ton, in addition to the powers conferred
upon them by existing statutes, are
hereby authorized to prepare and en-
force, in their respective cities, such
regulations as they may deem necessary
for the safety and health of the people
with reference to house drainage an6
its connection with public sewers, where
such connection is made"
In all cases of diphtheria fully al
great care should be taken in disinfect
ing the sick room, after use, as in scar.
let fever. After a death from diphtherif
the clothing disused should be burned
OF exposed to nearly or quite heat O
boiling water; the body should be plac,
ed as early as practicable in the coffin
with disinfectants, and the coffin should
be tightly closed. Children, at least
and better adults also in most cases
should not attend funeral from house
in which death from diphtheria hai
occurred. But with suitable precau
tions it is not necessary that the funera
should be private, provided the corpse
be not in any way exposed.
/ Although it is not at present possible
TO remove at once all sources of epi
demic disease, yet the frequent vista
tion of such disease, and especially 1T
continued prevalence, may be taken al
sufficient evidence of insanitary sur
roundings, and of sources of sickness tt
certain extent preventable. 1t shoul(
be distinctly understood that no amount
of artificial "disinfection" can ever take
the place of pure air, good water, anG
proper drainage, which cannot be gain
ed without prompt and efficient remova
of all filth, whether from slaughter
houses, ETC., public buildings, crowded
tenements or private residences. In the
opinion of the board, this is likely to bt
done properly only through indepen
dent local boards of health, the appoint
ment of which in all cases we most re-
spectfully, but earnestly urge upon the
citizens of the state.
(This circular is signed by the State
Board of Health, of which so distinguish
ed medical man as Henry l. Bowditch
is chairman.)