The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-09-01
PRESERVE THE HEALTH.
Sanitary Precautions TO Prevent the
Spreading of Infectious Disenses'

II p
andum of sanitary precautions against
the spreading of contagious and lnfec-
tious poisons, because most of them can
be stamped out" and all of them can
be controlled. These rules are applica
BILE to any locality:
Cleanliness and ventilation are in all
cases and everywhere of the first i'm
portance. The diseases which are
spread chiefly from place to place and
from person to person by means of
their own infection or contagion are to
be regarded and treated as enemies, to
be resisted and stamped out. The propa
cation of some of them with the help
of local causes, seen or unseen, and the
fatality, as well as spread, of each one
of them is increased by personal un-
cleanliness and local unhealthfulness.
Diphtheria, measles, scarlet fever. ty-
phoid fever, ,puerperal fever and smallpox
are the most pestilent of these infec-
tious diseases in this State. But ty-
phoid fever and malignant cholera are
infectious by means of excremental
matters rather than from bodily ema-
nations. Typhus spreads by its per-
sonal contagion. and it originates among
crowded and uncleanly people. These
diseases and all infections and conta-
gions require disinfection and all sani-
tary precautions that prevent infection.
Smallpox, scarlet fever, diphtheria or
measles.-The patient should be kept
in separate room (preferably on an
upper foor) from which, if possible,
carpets, curtains, stuffed furniture,
clothing and other articles not re-
quired for immediate use, should be
| removed beforehand; and no person
except the physician, nurse or parent
should be allowed to enter the sick
room, or to touch any Of the articles
used therein, until after thorough dis
infection.
To disinfect clothing, etc., in the
sick room.-Keep in the room tub
containing quarter of pound of sui
phate of zinc and two ounces of COM
mon salt to each gallon of water. All
bed linen, towels, clothing, handker-
chiefs, etc., used about the patient,
should be allowed to soak in this solu-
tion for at least an hour before re-
moval from the room, and afterward be
thoroughly boiled, separate from the
rest of the family washing. Never send
such articles to public laundry.
To disinfect discharges from the
patient.-Use the same disinfecting
fluid as in disinfecting clothing, but
three times stronger, or use copperas
water, made by dissolving pound and
a half of copperas in gallon of water.
The latter answers for all excremental
discharges, while the former is best for
all articles of clothing and furniture.
All vessels used in the sick room should
be disinfected with one or other OF
these disinfecting fluids, unless i'm
mediately immersed in boiling water.
Disinfect the discharges and clothing
Immediately.
Typhoid fever.-The poison lies in
the discharges from the bowels, which
should be at once disinfected with the
solution of the zinc-salt or of copperas.
Particular care should be exercised to
prevent any possible contamination OF
sources of drinking water with these
discharges. Bed clothing or other arti
cles soiled by the excavations should be
treated with the solution, and be boiled
Dysentery and cholera.-Adopt the
same regulations as in typhoid fever.
Typhus fever.-Enforce free ventila
ton and disinfection of clothing, a,
above described. Attend to the fumi
cation of the sick room and its bed
, ding.
To prevent the body of the patien-
from spreading contagion.- In the erud
tive diseases, especially in scarlet fever
the patients body should be annointeI
at least twice day with oil, lard o.
vaseline, containing about ten grams O.
, carbolic acid or of thymol to the ounce
This process should be maintained un
til the bran-like scaling of the skin il
at an end. The zinc-salt solution SHOULD
,, be used as directed. Before again as
sociating with unprotected persons, tn,
patient should have several complett
, ablutions, including thorough washing
of the hair with soap or borax; and non,
of the clothing worn for several days be
fore the disease declared itself shoulC
be again used until thoroughly disin
> fected and ventilated in the open al
. several DAYS.
= Avoid visiting houses where ther,
are any of these diseases. Occupants o
such houses should not visit.
Disinfection of houses and apartments
-Fumigation with sulphur is the onl,
practicable method for disinfecting tn
house, as we'll as furniture, bedding
! etc., that cannot be steamed or boiled
: For this purpose the rooms to be disin
fected must be vacated. Close the room
,, rs tightly as possible, place the sulphu
in iron pans supported upon bricks il
wash-tubs containing little water, sc
! it on fire by hot Goals, or with the al,
of a spoonful of alcohol, and keep tn
, room tightly closed twenty-four hours
For room of dimensions equal to tel
feet square, or 100 square feet of floor
space, at least two pounds of sulphu
should be used; for larger rooms, pro
: portionally increased quantities. Afte
fumigatlvn, the freest possible ventila
tion should be practiced. All woClel
clothing, silks, furs, stuffed bed-covers
beds and other articles which cannot b
treated with zinc solution, should l.
hung in the room during fumigatit 4
their surfaces thoroughly exposed, ant
their pockets turned inside out. After
ward they should be hung in the opel
air, beaten and shaken. Pillows, beds
stuffed mattresses, upholstered fu1ni
ture, etc, should be ripped open, tn
contents spread out and thoroughly fu
migated. Carpets are best fumigateC
on the floor, but should afterward be re
moved to the open air and thorough,
beaten. Many of such articles may b
disinfected in an oven or steam-beatet
tank, at temperature of from 212 de
grees to 250 degrees Fahrenheit, main
tanned for five or six hours.
Distinction of premises, etc.-Cel