The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-07-09
DEPHTHERlA.
Its Ravages in the Village of
Madison.
Wise Advice from the Secretary of
the State Board of Health.

The following letter, sent to the Somerset
Reporter by the Secretary of the State
Board of Health, DR.. A. G. Young, is Of in
terest to all the people of the State, as to
the afflicted people of Madison:
A few days ago the Secretary of the State
Board of Health received notification from
East Madison that diphtheria has lately been
prevalent there and that the people wished
an investigation to be made in regard to its
causes. A visit to that place resulted in the
following facts and conclusions: There
have been seventeen cases of diphtheria with
one death in each of seven families, and
there are still several seveerly sick. A few
of these cases occurred in the latter part of
April, and a few in May, but the larger part
Of them have come since the early part OF
June. Within the usually healthy little val
ley where the village lies, the cases have all
occurred except one just on the top of the
hill north of the village, perhaps quarter
of a mile away, and two at the lower mills
about half a mile east In the village the
Wesserrunset Wooden Mills Company have
dam about quarter of a mile from Madison
Pond and another above, close to the lake.
1t has been the practice to close completely
the gate of the upper dam when the mill is
closed in the evening and to let the water
down again in the morning. From the ex-
posed shores above the low water mark at
night there have at times arisen some often
siye smells. The general sanitary arrange
ments of this pleasant little are village per-
haps as good as the average rural village, yet
this is Scant praise
An ocular inspection of the privy vaults
is usually not necessary to show that their
condition is not safe one. Kitchen and
other Stops very often pollute the ground
and give off their StencheS in the immediate
vicinity of the dwelling. Well are very Of
ten too near to residences and stables and
where their waters must necessarily be pol
luted by soakage.
These conditions which have mentioned
| are dangerous, and if their influence is not
sufficient to start epidemic diseases they are
| at least capable of inducing a condition of
| susceptibility to their poison and of deter
| mining sometimes the more malignant char
| acter of an epidemic
| But besides these unsanitary conditions
another cause, which is always present when
| diphtheria spreads, has been operative. L
| mean the specific contagion of the disease.
| That diphtheria is contagious is as certainly
| known as that small pOX is, and when the
| general public come to thoroughly know and
| believe this and to act accordingly as they
would do if a case of small poX should APP
| pear there will be fewer deaths in the State
| from this disease.
| The first duty in this disease is prompt and
strict separation of the sick from the well,
| employing special nurses and keeping these
nurses from coming in contact with well per-
| sons, especially children. Exclude all ''go-
| DetWeenS Wnetnef IN Jne form Oh Well-dls-
posed but ill-advised neighbors or in the
form of cats and dogs. Remember that the
breath and all the eXcretions of the patient
carry the poison. This poison must be radi-
cally destroyed by fire or by thorough and
UNREASONABLE distinction. Bear in mind
| that every piece of fabric which has been
within the sick room may be the bearer of
| the contagiop.
| Such rules as these thoroughly carried out
would be effective, as they have been in
many places, in limiting the spread of diph-
| liberia when it appears.