The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1877-02-22
The Treatment Of Scarlet Fever.

The Treatment Of Scarlet Fever.
DIR. DEWOLF, the Commissioner of
Health of Chicago, has recently sent to
the different physicians of the city the
following instructions:
Scarlet fever Is contagious, and may be
conveyed from the sick to the well
through the medium of any substance
which has remained in the infected atmOs-
phere, as clothing, pieces Of paper, crock
cry, furniture, locks of hair, and also by
animals, as pet dogs and cats. The
poison is present in the skin of those sick,
in the breath, in the secretions of the nose
and throat, and in all the discharges from
the body.
1t Is not certainly known at what time
those who have been sick have lost their
power of injecting the we'll, but it ISL prob
ably true that so long as any dry particles
are separating from the skin the danger of
infection is still present. ..
Whenever child is attacked with scar
let fever in family with other children,
the probabilities are great that if the
proper precautions are taken those not
affected may be protected from the dis
case. This is important to remember, for
all attempts to stop the spread of the dis
ease must be based upon this act.
The person affected, no matter how
mild the attack, should be at once con-
fined to an upper room, if possible, from
which all the furniture not required for
the use of the patient should be removed J:
this should include all the wall and man.
tel ornaments, with carpets, rugs and cur
tains. In the houses of the poor, or
where from any cause an upper room can
not be procured, one should be selected
as far removed as possible from that
generally occupied by the family. and
which can Ike shut off from the household
quarters. All persons, the nurse and
medical attendant excepted, should be
vigorously excluded from the sick room,
and no clothing, cloth, discharges or arti-
Gle of any description should be re-
moved from this room until disinfectcd as
directed.
Fresh and pure air is the great disin-
fectant, and the sick room should be
kept we'll ventilated, under the physi-
clans direction, by an open fireplace
and chimney, or by windows opened to
the external air. Raise the lower sash
three or four inches, and place in the
opening piece of board made to fit ex-
actly. BY this means free currents of air
arc obtained through the space between
the sashes above. There are other practi-
cal means which should he made use of to
destroy the disease germs. Carbolic acid
is the cheapest and best of the chemical
disinfectants. A solution of five grains of
the acid to one ounce of water is believed
to destroy all the low forms of animal or
vegetable organisms with which it is
brought in contact. The grade known as
commercial carbolic acid may be pro-
Cured from any druggist in pound bottles
for about eighty five cents bottle.
To effect the disinfection of rooms, all
crevices around windows and doors
should be closed by FASTING over them
pieces of paper. Jumps of birthstone
one pouna for every thousand cubic feet
of space-should be put into an iron dish
and placed over tub of water to protect
against fire. This being set on fire, the
doors should be closed and the room al.
lowed to remain without interference for
four hours; it may then be thoroughly
ventilated
As means of purifying air in dwell.
ings the influence of all disinfcctants
other than those spoken of, is very small
if not totally nal, because of the small de.
gree of concentration that can be used
without injury to the health of the Occu.
pants.
Liquid carbo.ic acid for disinfectine
water.closets and yards, and which should
be diluted with three parts water when
used, can be purchased from wholesale
druggists for about seventy-five cents pei
gallon. Carbolic acid for disinfectine
purposes will be supplied by the depart
mcnt to all persons upon the representa-.
ton of the attending physician that the
applicant is too poor to purchase it him.
self.
A solution should be prepared by mix.
ing in pail or vessel two ounces of acid
with six parts of water, and this solution,
costing about nine cents for the elk parts
should always be kept in the sick room
for use. All discharges from the body
should be Immediately covered or mixed
with an equal quantity of this solution,
and all clothing Of the patient used should
be thoroughly saturated and soaked in the
solution before leaving the room. Cloth.
ing then cannot be washed or boiled, but
should be saturated with the disinfectine
solution, which will not injurc it, and then
given prolonged exposure to air and sun.
light. A sheet wet with the solution
should be kept suspended before the door
from top to bottom, and in case of death
the body should be wrapped in sheet
thoroughly saturated with it. All funeral
gatherings at the house of the infected
arc disapproved, and all persons should
avoid such housesas far as possible.
On recovery. the sick person should moi
mingle with the we'll until the roughncss
of the skin due to the disease shall have
disappeared. One month is considered
an average period during which isolation
is needed.
In a previous circular sent out to ply.
sicians the suggestion was made that pub.
lie funerals, in case of scarlet fever and