The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1877-11-23
Tht g Nip Arg,,s,
DIPHTHERrA.
Means by Which the Prevailing
Sconrge May be Averted.
From the New haven Reeisler.

| Aes lACaitu OAuCoT Lhn0Sley, ID accord
ance with the suggestions of the board a
! p4 evious meeting, submitted the followin.
paper. twill be printed in pamphlet form
tor general circulation.
Opntheria is both contagious and ar
lnlectious disease; 1t is. moreover. pre- en
lnentiy one OF the class of filth diseases
| that =, Il occurs nj 81 freaaaofT4 4ns3
most malignant and Iatai ior4il u .lt..c damn
ness aud DIRT do mcst prevail The mean,
OF prhectlon, therefore, obviously lie il
avoidance OF exposure to its presence aud il
the most serupuious attention IT, cleanliness
Absolute isolation OF the sick, the most rigid
purity OF surroundings aided by dlslnfeetiop
when required would probably exterminate
the disease. The veteran sanitarian. DIR
y. III. snow, OF Providence, says that where
there Is abundant sunlight, dryness, clean
ness, and pure air, diphtheria cannot pre-
vail. Ihe same conditions will protect al.
most as etfectually from most other danger
Gus diseases. Such being the truth. neither
individuals nor communities can afford to
Ignore the fact that they are il great de-
gree responsible for their own health.
| When case occurs in any family, the
SICK person should be placed in room
apart from the other inmates of the house.
and should be nursed as far as possible bv
one person only. The sick chamber should
De well warmed, we'll aired, aud exposed to
sunlight; its furniture should be such as
can be cleansed without injury, and all SUI
pernuous things, as window and table drar-
cry. Woolen carpets, and the like, should be
removed. The family should not minele
with other people. Visitors should be
warned OF the presence of contagious dis
ease, and children should rot be admitted
to the house.
All clothing removed from the patient
should be at once placed 10 boiling water.
instead OF handkerchiefs. soft pieces of I'm.
en- or cotton cloth should be used and inn
medlately burned. Disintectants should be
placed IN all the vessels which receive the
expeetoration or other discharges from the
patient. Dlslnlectants should also be free
ly used 10 the sick room. Those which de.
sstroy bad odors without causing others are
pest, such as solutions of nitrate of lead and
chloride of ziuc.-
The sick person should not mingle with
others until fully recovered, and in cases of
scarlet fever until allroughness of the skin,
due to the disease, has disappeared, be-
cause the exfollated skin is especially infec-
tious
The disinfection Of the sick room should
be thorough. The walls should be dry-rub-
bed and the cloths used burned without
shaking, the ceiling shoold be scraped and
ilme-washed. The floor and woodwork
should be washed with soap and water.
The clothing or bedding used by the patient
or nurse should be purified by boiling for
at least one hour, and should always be
cleaned by themselves, and under no cir |
cumstances should they be sent to laun
dry. ln case of death the body should be
placed as early as practicable 10 the coffin. |
with dlslntectants, and the cofin tightly |
closed.
Children certainly, and 10 most cases
adults, should not attend funeral from a |
house 10 which death from diphtheria or |
scarlet fever has occurred. But With suit |
able precautions it is not necessary that
the burial should be strictly private, proyi- |
ded that the corpse be not in any way ex
posed.
Because children are especially liable to
take and to spread these diseases. and be-
cause schools afford free opportunity for
this, every child from any family 10 which |
"a case of either OF these diseases has oc
CURED should be excluded from school and |
De readmltted not sooner than one month |
from the beginning of the disease, except
upon the certificate of some competent ply |
sicIan that it will be safe.
All the above precautions concern the |
dangers of eontagion. But the continued |
prevalence of these diseases in any commu- |
nifty is probable evidence of insanitary sur
roundiDgs. and of sources of sickness, par
tally or wholly preventable. The most
exemplary housewife, whose home is the |
very model of neatness and order, may have
all her efforts defeated in a sanitary sense
by defective sink-trap or Ieaky drain |
pipe, or an overfowing cesspoo, or an IN. |
drained cellar, or even by heap of decay
ing garbage in her neighbours yard.
Therefore, look well to the surroundings |
Abolish filth, remove dampness and all |
sources of fou air, especially from living
and sleeping rooms Disinfect thoroughly |
all suspected places in yards and neglected |
corners.
The following disinfectant is both very
cheap and efficient:
Take of eopperas (suIphate of iron1 five
pounds, and dissolve in thrse gallons of |
water.