Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1879-02-18
SCARLET FEVER.
SOME FACTS AS TO ITS ORIGIN.

The prevail nee of scarlet fever in
New York induced the World to in
terview DIR. Fordyce Barker concern
ing the disease. The following is the
result:
" 1t was first described by Sydenham,
in the seventeenth century, said Pro-
fessor Barker, las distinct disease. -
s'Are there great differences in the
severity of such epidemics ?''
VERY great differences, some epi-
denies being mild, and some attended
with severe and dangerous cases. But
there are always mild cases during the
most severe epidemics.'
s'What are the causes Of scarlet
fever?'' s.n6
s'The specific cause is Infection by
specific poison which is communicated
by direct contact, either with the ex-
halations from the lungs of patients,
with their skin, or by means of cloth
ing or various substances with which
the patients have come in contact
Scarlet fever is said to have been COM
municated by milk, or even by letter.
Taylor, an eminent English writer, re-
ports the beginning of one epidemic as
being in the family of a milkman, who
delivered milk to twelve families. OF
these families six had scarlet fever as
consequence. A certain individual
predisposition must exist, as it is fire.
quently found that one child in family
may take the disease, while others of
the children who have frequently been
exposed in the same degree do not
get it,
"Are individuals who have had the
disease in mild form more liable to
the second attack?''
81 should say not. On the contrary,
those who have constitutional predi-
lection to the disease are more liable to
a second attack. Ordinarily, one at
tack secures immunity from a second,
but there are many exceptions to this.
1t is very rare that patients die from
a second attack. In fact, not more
than three or four cases of this kind
have been reported in medical litera-
ture.''
"How long does the poison retain its
activity in clothing, furniture, rooms,
etc.?''
.s'This is very uncertain. There is
conclusive evidence that it has been
retained in clothing sometimes for
months. For example, a lady assisted
in nursing the children of sister in
the country, in the month of August.
In the following February one of her
own children was attacked with the
disease, and, subsequently, two others.
1t was then found that this lady had
put on dressing-gown she had worn
at her sisters the previous August, and
had taken in her lap the first of her
own children which was attacked at the
time she put on this gown again for the
first time. In another case, a nurse
who had been in attendance on scarlet
fever patients four months before seems
to have communicated the disease to a
lady whom she was attending, who had
young infant. Another case was that
of lady who had moved into house
where there had been scarlet fever some
months before. Three of her children
were attacked with the disease who had
not been exposed to infection from any
other source, and no other cases were
prevailing at the time that could be
heard of by the lady's physician.
s'How soon is the disease developed
after infection?'
Trosseau reports case in which the
disease was manifested in twenty-four
hours after exposure, and other cases
are reported but usually the period of
development is from three to ten or
twelve days after exposure. This is
probably due to the difference in the
susceptibility of the patients. y
SAT what period of the disease, and
how long, is it infectious?'
''It is infectious throughout its whole
course. 1t is believed to be most in
tensely so during the period of desqua-
nation, or when the skin is peeling of;
but so long as there is evidence of dis
turbance of the system from the localiz-
alton of the poison in any organ, it is
not safe to assume that the disease is
not communicable. y
"What is the comparative suscepti-
bility to the danger from the disease at
different ages?" o. sF ea8
h "The most suscept ible period of life
is from l to Is years. Murchison, a
very high authority, states from the
statistics of nearly 1900 cases that
about sixty -four per cent. of deaths
from scarlet fever are under years,
and nearly ninety per cent. under 10
years, ninety-five and half per cent.
under Is years, and only one and three
quarters per cent. over 25 years. Scar
let fever is very rare in young infants.
Only one ninetieth of all the deaths are
under one year, and one fifteenth be-
tween | and wears ,,
How can scarlet fever be prevented
and alleviated?D
,n. ITO prevent scarlet fever complete
isolation of the patients is absolutely
essential, as well as the prevention Of
all contact with those in attendance on
the diseased person. 1t is essential
also that the house should be thoroughly
ventilated, so that the poison which
may escape may be as diluted as posi-
lie, AL clothing should be thoroughly
disinfected, and even the soiled linen of
the sick should not be mingled with
that of the other members Of the house
l~l &c ,c Il