The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1885-05-07

tics have decreed, and aid them in carrying
their rules into effect.
came to this city in May, 1881, as rector
of st. Pauls church, and soon learned that
for some time previous thereto the commu-
nifty had been suffering from the ravages OF
scarlet fever and diphtheria, both in epidemic
form. Many deaths had occurred, and seye-
raj families had been left almost childless
by the effects of the dreadful visitation. In
my own parish, for q time, the deaths sue
ceeded one another with startling rapidity,
so that sometimes, on Sunday, looked into
the faces of children whose bodies placed
in the ground before the week ended. The
disease of which / saw the most was diph-
liberia and though was called to minister
in various parts of the city, l soon learned
that one particular locality was suffering in
an especial manner. The experience was
somewhat novel to me, and l wished to dis
cover, if possible, some reason for the evil
dent tenacity with which the disease held to
the locality indicated. / do not say that
discovered the reason. i only know, apply
ing principles which physicians have taught
me, that, in some cases, so called "mysteri-
Gus visitations of Providence" were rather
the sure results of human improvidence. /
shall carefully conceal names, and change
dates, to avoid wounding again the hearts of
some of those stricken parents and friends
with whom l stood in the hours of their
great affection.
One day, will say early in June, was
called to go and baptize a dying child. l
found three other children in the house re-
covering from severe attacks of diphtheria,
and the one which / baptized died a few
moments afterwards, almost under my hands,
and while / was still there. Before l left,
several neighbors came in and went about
the rooms and into the chamber of death, as
though no danger were TO be apprehended
from their conduct. The next day went 10
the funeral in the same house, ana found not
less than twenty persons present, some about
the open doors, and some within the house
and around the coffin and mingling with the
family. 1 do not know what measures, if
any, had been taken for disinfecting the
premises. Exactly fourteen days afterwards
was asked to bury girl sixteen years old,
who had been permitted TO enter the house
where this child died, sometime during the
day on which the funeral occurred. Within
three weeks of the death of this girl
ministered in three other families in
which children had died from the same dis
ease, and on each of the occasions, persons
were present from families representing sew
eral children each; and / ascertained that
some individuals from all three of these
households in which deaths had latest oc-
CURED had visited the two houses first above
referred to during the sickness of the chill
dren there, or after they had died, and pre-
vious to their burial In each case private
ly protested against the presence of any per-
sons whose services were not needed. In
II laI 10. c,x
seven other houses in the same quarter of
the city to bury children, and on each occa-
sion found several unauthorized persons
present, who had children at home to be en-
dangered by their rashness. In some of the
instances named the disease had existed in
different families simultaneously, and in
others successfully. In every case after the
first cited, judging from what l saw and
could learn, no reasonable doubt was left in
my mind that the germs of disease had been
carried, through carelessness and disregard
of law, from one habitation to another, and
speaking, needless.
In the same year, in another part of the
city, traced the disease from one house to
two others, in all of which deaths had &C.
CURED, and, as / believed, the result of the
bors with families in stricken households.
Not far from the same time / also traced
scarlet fever from one house TO two others
into which believed the deadly germs had
been carried either during the progress of
the disease, or after the death of one child
which buried. On one occasion q little
girl died of diphtheria, and the doll which
she had handled during her illness was given
20, fhaf Il Inn taA fhraa ato
later.
have said that 1 protested against the
presence of unauthorized persons in stricken
families. / declared on several occasions
that would not attend as clergyman to
minister to the sick or to bury the dead, I'M
less the presence of such persons should be
prevented. l conferred upon the subject
with the police, with the undertaken, and
with the health officer, who did all in their
power, have no doubt, to prevent anything
like public funerals in these several cases ;
but their efforts were powesless, as mine
we're, to prevent the needless running to and
fro before and after funerals, and while the
danger of infection still existed. 1t should
be added here that when, as happened, it be-
came possible to enforce stricter discipline
in this particular regard, the scourge was
abated. People seemed to learn, at last that
any needless approach to the disease should
be avoided. speak, of course, of those con-
corning whom l knew the most.
Without trenching upon professional
ground, have few words to add All or
binary sentiment is ill-bestowed in times of
danger. Ordinary courtesies and rules of
politeness are abrogated by the stern law of
necessity in the presence of communicable
disease. A new code goes into effect there,
tie most careful observance of which is de-
nanded for the good of society and of the
particular community. In the absence of a
health officer, the attendant physician should
be an autocrat, whose word should be inflex-
ible law. Visits of coincidence, and those
prompted by idle curiosity should be for
hidden and absolutely prevented. People
should be made TO understand that when
they go needlessly into danger for the mere
showing of kindly spirit, they are commit
ting crime against their own households,
and against the community in which they
dwell. And those who are afflicted should
understand that the absence OF all ordinary
courtesies affords, under such circumstances,
no occasion for offense. To do thing when
il il needless and in any sense dangerous, is
not the same as doing it when it is
necessary. An unwarranted "scare," so
called, is unmanly and unwomanly on the