Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-02-18

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general cleaning at once, set themselves
about it, and manure piles, hog pens,
privies, back yards, cellars, drains and
sewers were moved, cleaned, hoed and
scraped and disinfected. After all this was
done the board and people rested, for,
was not diphtheria filth disease? and as
the filth had been moved out, how could
the diphtheria move in? But it did move
in, and the board was appealed to, but
did not know what to do next. The sec
rotary of the State board of health was
sent for, came, and at his suggestion the
local board was increased to six members,
and sanitary committee of six was APP
pointed to work under direction of the
board. These twelve men were selected
to commend the confidence of the people
and insure harmonious but energetic
work. The secretary of the State board
impressed the people with the contagious
ness of the disease, and advised strict
quarantine. The local board published
rules and regulations, and distributed the
State boards circular on diphtheria. j.
Oct. 18th a little girl in school
was attacked with diphtheria and was in
school all day. The result was eight cases
in less than week, all from exposure to
the first, there being not one other case in
the five other school departments. The
schools were at once closed and public
gatherings prohibited, including funerals
and church services. There are six
churches in the village and five at once
submitted; but the pastor of the sixth
stood on the old theory that disease and
death are the direct visitation of Gods
wrath, in punishment for sin and to
bring his people to repentance; hence,
that the best thing to be done was to meet
in churches and pray for forgiveness of
sins and deliverance from the plague.
There was some talk of appealing to the
law, but the majority of the board was
firm, posted the law under which it acted
on the church doors and finally obtained
obedience The churches remained closed
until some weeks after the epidemic dis
appeared. The sanitary commit
tee visited every house in
town, examined into all sources of
filth and reported regularly. Strict quar-
antine was enforced. A red card with
''DIPHTHERIA" printed on it was posted
on every house where the disease existed
and no one was allowed to visit such
house-except the physician and nurse.
A man was hired to go mo further than
the door, to each house several times a
day, to take orders for medicines, grocer
les, OF whatever the family neededS
Where possible the sick were moved to
upper rooms. Persons were not allowed
to leave the house without changing
clothing, and after the disease subsidized
the most thorough cleaning and disinfect-
ing was enforced.
At first the people had not definite
idea that the disease was contagious. In
fact some of the physicians held the con-
trary view. But the sanitary committee
were instructed to make this idea prOmi-
nent. Not only was there quarantine
where the disease existed but all children
were kept strictly at home. Out of the
fifty five cases in the village, in no instance
did child take the disease where this
rule was observed. [ have taken pains
to inquire into every case and in every
instance they were accountable for by
cOntagion.
While there may be spontaneous diph-
iberia, and common decency requires the
removal of filth, yet as far as my expert
ence goes the germ or cause of diphtheria
does not originate in filth. But that
diphtheria is as contagious as smallpox
to children under twelve, whether vigor-
Gus or sickly, clean or dirty, is my settled
conviction. am positive it was so in
our epidemic.
DR.. Conley's paper concluded as follows:
cit has taken the world thousands of
years to begin to learn that national diff
ficulties can be better settled by arbitra-
ton than by appeal to arms. War is a
disease which feeds on the vitals of ma
ton. Arbitration is sanitary measure.
And SO, likewise, after thousands Of years,
the people are beginning to realize that
wise sanitary measures will
preserve the health of the people better
than an army of doctors with their mu-
nitions of war drugs"
In reply to questions of DR.. Hewitt and
others, Dr.. Conley related instances Of
the contagion being held for considerable
periods of time and carried long distances
TWENTY-FIVE of the fifty-five cases in Can
non Falls were fatal. After death and
burial they disinfected by closing the
sick room and burning sulphur in t for
fourteen or sixteen hours, boiled thor
etc., to the air and sun, on top of the
worth saving; and cleaned, scrubbed and
WllItC dSliCSl tlC ilOuOC3 lIOuI bOp
to bottom.
ANOTHER VICTORY.
At request of DR.. Sheardown, DR.. Hunt,
of Waseca, related how an epidemic was
prevented in his village. Up to
year ago not a case had occurred at
Waseca or within seven miles of there.
But young lady who was attending the
normal school at Mankato came down
with dlphtheria in Mankato, and her
clothing was hanging about her sick
room. When she became ccnvalescent
this clothing was packed in trunk and
remained there nine months. One day,
at her home in Waseca, she thought to
make over some of the clothing and took
it out of the trunk in a room where there
were five children. Five days after one
of the children was taken with diphtheria.
All five had it; two died and three re-
covered: There was a locomotive engi-
neer' on the middle division, running be-
tween Waseca and Sleepy Eye, who at
Sleepy Eye visited a convalescent family
where one child had died of diphtheria.
demonstrated with, he was astonished at
thedidea that he could carry contagion
lover hundred miles, riding on an
engine where the air was like
strong wind upon him all the way. But
five Of his children came down and one
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