Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-03-12
TEE scoURGE OF TIE NURSERY

The New York Times SAYS: That
scourge of the nursery, scarlet fever, is
said to be on the increase here, and so
many neighborhoods are suffering from it
that a number of parents have sent their
children out of town for fear of the con.
tagion Besides thecharacter common to the
group known as exanthemats, scarlatina is
almost always attended by sore throat and
the scarlet rash or eruption, which gives
name to the disease, breaks out as early as
the second day, after the appearance of fever,
and ends on the sixth or seventh dav ID sep
aration of the cuticle. Nearly all medical
writers mention three varieties of the disease
-scarlatina simplex, In which scarcely any
throat trouble attends the fever and the
rash scarlatlna anginosa, ID which throat
trouble is more prominent than in either
of the other affections, and scarlatina ma
ligna, in which the system is imp1ediately
overborne by the violence of the disorder
and the patient exhibits great weakness
and loss of vitality. The disease begins
with chilliness, lassitude, headache. rapid
pulse, dry, hot skin, flushed face, loss of
appetite and furred tongue. Presently the
throat feels irritated, grows red and is
often swollen. The small points of the
rash so increase that the skin soon
seems almost uniformly red, extending
from the face, neck and breast to the
trunk and extremities. The separation of
the cuticle in the scales usually ends in a
fortnight or more from the declaration of
the dIstemper. The fever continues with
the rash is sometimes accompanied with
delirium, even coma. In the malignant or
third form, the rash comes out late and
partially, being at times barely percepti-
ble At other times it may abruptly re.
cede or be mingled with livid spots. The
skin is cold, with feeble pulse and extreme
prostration, and death may occur-fre-
quently from blood poisoning in few
hours. In such cases, the tongue
is dry, brown, tremulous the throat
is lived, swollen liberated, gan
grenous breathing is impeded by
viseid mucus that collects about the
fauces, and medicine avails little. Even in
scarlatina anginosa there is considerable
danger. 1t may prove fatal from the in
hammation, or effnsion within the head, or
from Reorganization of the throat and
sloughing off of adjacent parts. Teeming
women are IN imminent peril from the
mildest phase of the fever. When it seems
to be cured its consequences are hazardous
Children, to whom it mainly confined, of
course, are subject after severe attack to
permanent Ill health and to some of the
many forms of chronic scrofula, as shown
by boils, sores behind the ear, infamma-
ton OF the eyes, glandular swellings and
strumous ulcers Scarlatina is often fol-
lowed by a peculiar dropsy, effecting
the sutc aneous cellular tissues and
larger Serious cavities Il occurs, like all
the exanthemata, as an epidemic-some-
times in very mild, sometimes in very viru-
lent types. In the simple variety, remain
ing within doors, non Stimulating diet and
regulation of the bowels are generally
found sufficient In the second variety,
leeches are often employed, especially
where delirium supervenes The two prin-
cipal sources OF danger In the malignant
variety are from the primary effect OF the
contagious poison upon the body and from
gangrenous liberation of the throat. The
final result is always uncertain. Whether
it is contagious throughout its course, or at
one period alone, has never been ascer.
tanned but that the power of contagion
remains in clothing furniture, etc., is I'M
questioned and unquestionable.