Daily Republican., 1881-07-13


WILMINGTON
DOWN WITH THE YELLOW FLAG
How the Beard of Health shOult
Fight the Small.Psx.
For the REPUBLICAN.
see by last Saturdays Philadelphia
Record, also New York papers, that the
Board of Health of the city of Whining
ton, at meeting of that body on the
evening previous, decided to request
and instruct all churches, Sunda y
schools and other organizations in that
city to hold no more meetings until fur.
ther notice, owing to the alarming
spread of smallpox.
[ do not know the names of the gentle
men who comprise that board, conse-
|qnently can speak plainly as to the ad-
visableness of such step by that body,
and my opinion as to what course should
be pursued in consequence of the preva-
lence of smallpox in the city without
wounding any persons feelings.
When in Florida last winter I saw
notice in the Daily REPUBLICAN, of your
city, that resolution had been passed
by the constituted authorities Of Will
mington, that from every house in which
a smallpox patient resided, should be
hung yellow flag; the unfurling of the
flag was the announcement to the citi-
| n thu Il tU Stn<A hot 1, 10,
those doors pestilence existed. I at
once said to a Wilmingtonian, who was
in Florida, "You will now see more
smallpox in Wilmington than ever be-
fore"
Was that resolution wise one? l
answer "nO" 1t was arbitrary and en-
tirely uncalled for by the exigencies of
the case. Is smallpox the most con-
tagious and fatal disease we are subject
to? answer "no." We have more ia
tai diseases, and diseases that are much
| more contagious.
If the afflicted family with smallpox
must unfurl aud keep flying at their
threshold the yellow flag, then let the
powers that bein Wilmington announce
to her citizens that for scarlet fever the
red flag must be appended to their door
post, and for diphtheria the blue flag,
and for cholera the white flag, and so 1
might go on enumerating the diseases
and the flags until all the colors would
be- exhausted, and then you would be
compelled to resort to the flags of 9th el
nations, and our city would have the ap-
pearance of celebrating a holiday.
Now let reason and good judgment
possess the authorities and people.
Smallpox is not so bad a disease as re-
presented if properly treated and cared
for. have no fear of smallpox.
have attended it in all its forms and
conditions. Give the smallpox patient
good medical treatment, not by II ply
sician who is afraid Of the disease; then
give the patient good nursing and let
that nursing be by the family. Wives
do not forsake yoIr husbands; husbands
do not forsake your wives: mothers do
not neglect your little children. 1t is
not cruel to hand the afflicted ones over
to the hands of strangers.
When a member of the family is
stricken down with the disease let one
or more or all the family, if needed, be
delegated TO nurse the afflicted one
through the disease. There is but little
danger if proper precautions are taken
Let every member Of The household be
thoroughly vlcc.n tied, if they have
not had the disease, and then diet them
selves. If they should take the disease,
from nine days to "a fortnight will elapse
since their first exposure, and their
systems being in prepared condition
both by dieting and vaccination it will
necessarily be very light, it taken at
all.
| would at once tear down every yell
low flag in the city. Why spread ter
ror and CONSERVATION among your citi-
zens, thereby increasing their pro obabili-
ties for contracting the disease? No one
knows as we'll as physicians what intlu-
ence the mental condition of the mind
has over the body IN inducing diseases.
Why ruin the local business Of your
fair and prosperous city? | would have
all cases Of small pox reported to the
Board of Health. Let the board ap-
point one good physician or two if ne
cessary, not only men of skill, but above
all judgment, whose business it should
be to visit at least once a day every
house occupied by smallpox patient
and see to it that they are having pro-
per care and attention, and sufficient
caution is used to prevent the spread OF
the disease and that all the inmates OF
that house are properly vaccinated.
l say the yellow flag increases the
number of smallpox patients. Human
nature is very much alike the world
over, and very many afflicted families
look upon the flag as humiliating and
and the old sayin. is true
"Misery loves company"
assert that less care is exercised on
account of the flag than there otherwise
would, be and then, as said before, you
alarm the people, thereby diseasing the
mind and making them more suscepti-
BILE to cOntagion.
might weary you with arguments
Oh this point, but one more will suffice.
In most of the cases a stranger is called
in to attend and nurse the smallpox
invalid; not even a single member of
the family ever sees him until fully re-
covered Now, what danger would
there be to neighbors or strangers if no
yellow flag was flying?
| cannot believe that the Philadelphia
and New York papers have reported
the Board of Health correctly when
they say that they have instructed all
Sunday schools and other
to hold no more meetings
until further notice. Had they advised
the citizens Of Wilmington to leave the
city, and remain away until the disease
was eradicated, that would have savor-
ed of common sense, and certainly
would have had the desired effect with
those who left the city; but to advise
church gatherings, Etc, discontinued,
seems like the shaerest stupidity and
nonsense.
Your citizens must come in contact
with each otheEevery day ifyou remain
IN the city, and under much more un-
,I,.,. IL, | 1