The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1881-02-01
.DIPHTHERIA.
The Result Of the Investigations by
| the state Board of Health.

.... DIPHTHERtA. -
Tho Result Of tho Investigations by
the state Board of Health.
In addition TO She informstion which
the, State Board Of Heslih has accumu.
lated in relation to smallpox, showing
the importance Of vaccination and OF
the dissemination of;general information
among the masses shout the nature Of
the disease. . vast amount Of matter sta.
tis,ical and otherwise, has been gathered
Concerning the ravages.. OF diphtheria.
The part OF the report relating TO diph.
iberia will occupy about eighty printed
pages. and consists Of notes of many
cases occurring in high and isolated Ipla.
ces, where nature appeared to Iavor con
ditions Of perfect. health, but where the
neglect and filthy habits OF humsn be-
ings have allowed diphthera to hecome
seated and spread abroad through other
hitherto uninfectcti neighberhoods. The
B ,srd hiss inviietreports OF facts rather
than the advancement of conclusions,
but it is' believed that comparison. OF
the phases. Of the disease will pruye af
great 3ene6t lii the study .ofes disease
not yet fully comprehended, and treated
with an unhappy degree OF uncertainty
as to results BY even the most expert:
enced physicians. Everything points to
the necessity ef isolation ami protracted
quarantine Of convalescenis Whih. the
3 'ard of Health has done g"od work
in New York City in disssein naaing In.
formation as TO the character Of diph.
iberia, 1t has bee ,ms plsin. that pra-
found degree Of Ignorance about II ex.
isis 10 the rural districts. - ASa-'
!. Taeanention Of D.. Elisha .HaEris,,he
Secretary OF the State Beard of. Health,
vas directed last summer to a,center .oi
the disease in Johnsto wn,, Fdlion c. ,un-
ty, and by great diligence the sasnay oi
. family was found to be the stsrtine
point from which 1t had gone abrosd
untit' IT, had found victims in every psrt
Of the village, and afterWard found it's
way far up toward the north woods. In
the shanty referred to Two children had
heen stricken with diph,heris and died.
A family from a distance made vi.it
to the house, and the children who we're
amnng The visitors slept in the very b ID
in which the children had died . short
time before. They went hons, and SOON
after bad an stack Of diphtheria An
infant who sickened and died IN the
neighhprhood vas carried In he mothers
arms forty miles east across the country,
tWo other children riding In the same
conveyance. they carried the disease
with them, and It crept along south
again until it reachet Worthwhile. The
first fatal case here vas that of an al.
mired child, snd, Ia gross ignorance ol
the fearful danger 10 which the neigh.
borhnod was exposed, public funeral
was held Ia . church; the corpse was
carried in by child bearers, companions
Of the dead one the church was crowd.
ed, principally with children; A sermon
was preached, and the body was folio we'd
to the grave by long concourse OF peo-
pie young and old. The result was one
that should not have surprised anybody.
The fuaeral infected the whole village,
and In = week there we're forty-six cases
Of tliphtheria in the place. The Board
Of Health was alarmed at this and other
instances OF csrelessness, and while DR..
Harris Was In the neighborhood investi
eating the matter, he sat down one day
and wrote scircular, which has been dis.
tributed fat and wide, giving tersely all
the par iculars as to the infectious fia.
ture of the disease, pointing ont the ne.
cessi' y for isolation Of patients. cleans!
ing and disinfection OF rooms and cloth.
ing, and emphstically directing private
funerals.
Cases Of aiphtheria occurring In high
and usually saluhriou, ptsgss rave-.-
ce;ved attentive study. One instance Is
related OF the appearance OF diphtheEis
on one OF the highest hills in Usage
sC,unsy. Here school house, new, well
built, seemed to have been the point ol
origin -of large ndmter Of casea. s.Nu
oher reasnn could be assigned for til
spread except an out-honse on The
groundss 10 which, It Is believed. the die.
ease haa nestcd and been communicates ed
to the children who attended the school
The neglect Of the simplest precautions
to keep this breeding spot inocuuus had
entailed great misery, sud again taught 8
fearful lesson. MANY cases are brought
tn light 10 show that diphthsssA and
other diseases difficult to coniroi%s de.
veloped and disseminated through the
almost universal neglect. among the
poorer rursi population, of drsinag.
and sewerage. Steps are thrown fron
windows under she very dwelling, veee'
table matter IL allowed to gather and de,
compose 10 cellars, sells that are poi
soned With The offerings Of cess- pool,
long nndisturbed scatter disease and
death In the midst Of charming pictures
Of ruraf ioyeliness. and IN mos, instances
might have Bsen prevented BY little Of
mo expenditure and the simplest regard
for common sanitary principles.
The State Board 10 in possession Of {
long petition, signed bv more than 10t
prominent citizens Of New York, asking
that an investigation as.to the ioanse and
cure Of efiluvium 'nuiiances In New Yort
Be made by the Board Dr.. Harris hal
referred. II 70 the sanitary committee, ol
which Prof. Chandler is chairman. and 4
may result in something beneficial to ths
long-snferins residents OF Murray Hill
who have so frequently complained o.
the insuflsrable odors which annoy them
IN. +. Timss. - q