The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1882-03-09
suggestions worth Needing

Fortunately the smallpox epidemic 20
many people feared and apprehended has
not been visited upon our city. A few
sporadic cases, ten in all, during period Of
more than two months, including the con-
valescent cases heretofore mentioned, have
been in the city, of which two died. Two
in ten is large percentage of deaths, for
even in the most virulent forms of conllu-
ent smallpox not one out of twenty dies,
when physicians are properly situated to
handle ii. In large cities where there are
regularly established smallpox hospitals
and nurses the disc lse is easily controlled
and is far less fatal than pernicious and
typhus ievers.
Smallpox is disease that cannot live
in hot weather. Heat destroys its
germs, annihilates the sprouts. while on the
other hand it fattens. and thrives, and
crows merry in cold weather. The warm,
genial weather we are having now will
Kill it out wherever it may be, and for this
We cannot be too thankful. Even in cold
weather, in the midst of the season Of
SHOWS and sleets and freezes, when It is
most to he dreaded, because it turks in
every chilling blast and runs riot amid the
ice and the frosts, it can, by proper effort
and care, be prevented from spreading and
assuming epidemic proportions. 1t is a
contagious disease, and it should be well
known to all that in contagious diseases
every breath, drop of perspiration, or of
pus or mucus; every crust, scab, scale, even
scurf of skin and dandrutf Of the hair,
besides all the discharges from the
kidneys and bowels, are loaded
not only be kept in the sick room, but the
person and bed and body and clothes of the
patient should be saturated with them. In
scarlet fever and measles, simple Injunction
with lard, OF vaseline or some other greasy
substance will do much to keep down the
contagion, but weakly carbolized fat Of
some kind will do more, and this should be
applied all over the body, including espe-
cially the head and hair. In this way the
scales of scarlet fever, the crusts Of small
pox varioloid and chicken-poX, and the
scurf of measles are rendered inoXious,
while the bed and body clothes of the pa
tient are kept constantly disintected. Dis
infectants should be kept in spit-cups, slop-
Jars, and every utensil used in the sick
room. But it is especially during conva-
lescence that the greatest precautions are
required. Thorough washing of the whole
person of the sick, and their nurses with
carbolic soap, including especially the hair,
should be thoroughly carried out before the
patient or nurse is allowed to sec any other
people or visit any other house, school,
church. theater, or any place OF public T. /
sort. Every crust or scab Of smallpox, !
or chicken pox, should be care
fully gathered and burned, with the addi- |
ton of sulphur. There are other good |
and more pleasant disiniectants which every
good physician will know how to advise
and which every intelligent and conScien- |
tious person should be anxious to carry out. |
The expectoratiOn Of diptheria, scarlet fe-
ver measles and whooping cough should be |
received. in vessels, be they cups, or bowls or
slOp lars, or other reCeptaCles in which dis |
infectants are constantly kept. With these |
ana few other simple precautions almost
every case of contagious disease can be lin |
tied to the first person attacked; the cases
will be rendered milder, the enforced clean |
ness will benefit every body; the means are
very cheap, and the details are
not very troublesome.