The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1881-09-15
Hints for Preventing Diphtheria

The following suggestions in re-
gard to preventing the ravages of
diphtheria are published by the New
York State Board of Health:
Diphtheria is an infectious and
dangerous disease, readily commune
Gated by the sick and by clothing
from the sick room. The room itself
is apt to retain and communicate the
infection. Its spread is prevented by
great care to have the sick, their
clothing, and the persons who nurse
them, kept entirely away from others,
especially from children; and to such
care should be added cleansing,
The sick must be nursed in 4 clean
and airy room, on floor where there
are no other children.
Every cloth and cup. and all cloth
ing and bedding used in the sick
room, must be cleansed and disin-
fected before being handled or used
by other persons. The house itself
must be disinfected as soon as the
sick recover or die. Cleanliness and
ventilation should be enforced night
and day.
Open windows and open fireplaces-
with fire in them day and night-pro.
tect the sick and those who attend
them. The cloths and dishes used by
the sick should he put into boiling
hot water, as soon as removed, with.
out being taken to another room.
The soiled clothing from the sick and
the bed that can be boiled should he
thrown into disenfecting fluid. made
by dissolving four tablespoonsful of
sulphate of zinc (''white vitrol''), and
two tablespoonful Of common salt in
a gallon of boiling water (one.fOurtll
of q pound of sulphate of zinc to two
ounces of table salt to the gallon).
When the time of washing comes.
thoroughly boil the clothing, ETC.,
before washing.
The woodwork, chairs and stools
of the sick-room should be washc d
with the disenfected fluid. The
chamber vessels and spit-cups.
used by the sick, should be drenched
with this fluid before they are re.
moved from the room.
The grounds surrounding the house,
the bitches and drains, and the privy
and chip yard, must be drenched with
the cheap solution of green copperas
(sulphate of iron), made hy dissolving
S1ro ,oo,,r1o, ~ tina 1rv n0,>norac IN q
large pailful of water.
AS soon as the sick-roOm is vacated
let it he funigated with sulphur and
let all rugs, beds, blankets and other
furniture remain in the room and
near where the kettles or pans of
sulphur are placed. From two to five
pounds of sulphur, or broken hrim.
stone laid upon ashes and Goals in
iron vessels, (set into large tubs that
contain few inches depth of water
will be necessary for fumigating an
ordinary chamber. The physician
will direct how to do this; but it will
be well done if the rooms to be fnmi'
gated are so closed that the suffo.
eating fums do not escape from fines
and crevices, and the burning Of the
sulphur at last ceases for want OF
fresh air before all the sulphur is
consumed. Let the fumes be kept
shut in all day. Finally let all plas'
tered portions of the room he white
washed with fresh Stacked lime. Let
the bottom and sides of cellars bt
sprinkled thickly, and repeatedly with
quick lime. All hOuse-drains, ditch
es, filthy grounds, garbage tubs ant
decaying materials should be cleared
out and disenfected. and waste pipes
dl aims and sewer connections 50 i'm
proved that no gases from them shall
enter the house.
The sick should he nursed by adult
who have no children about them
Avoid the patients breath and mat
ters elected in coughing.
Children and visitors should kee]
away from the house where there j
diphtheria. The burial of those tina
die should re strictly private. Tn
corpse should be wrapped in shee
saturated with the zinc disinfectant
Children who recover from dipll
iberia should not visit or he visite
attend school or meetings. or mingl
with others of the family from wl,ic]
separated, until the physician pei
mits.
The mother. father or other mem
bers of 4 family who needs to becom
an attendant upon the sick whe
guaranteed for diphtheria, shout
practice all possible. precautions t
prevent spreading the infection j
the family. Nurses of such patient
should keep away from other fami
lies and from other children Of tn
same family. *. $780,
1t must be- remembered that no
only the mild cases. but the conva
descent. may and frequently. do III
feet others fatally, and that by thi
means diphtheria is thoughtlessl
spread from place to place.
It is a public a. we'll as Il do,nesti
duty to apply these sanitary rule
wherever a case of diphtheria occur,
This disease should he treated as a
enemy to he conquered in every hons
it enters.
Positive Proof.
| We have the most positive III
convincing proof that Thomas Elec
trio Oil is most efectual specifi
for bodily pain. In cases of rheu