The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1886-07-29
Diphtheria.

Diphtheria is a terrible disease, and
when it breaks out i'm a school, or in
family where there are several children,
unless the very best precautions are OBJ
served it is likely to spread, for it is q
disease that may be communicated from
one person 10 another. 1t is contagious.
Regarding the different measures en-
ployed to prevent the spread of this dis
ease, we very greatly prefer the fumes
of burning sulphur. Weregard sulphur
as the most effective disinfectant we can
use for the purpose of preventing the
spread of diphtheria in schools and in
families where several children are ex-
posed, and it has salutary effect upon
those already suffering from the disease.
We have had the care of scores of diph-
liberia patients, and we can refer to
quite a number of families of children
where the disease was limited to one
child. and we verify believe that the
fumes of burning sulphur were instru-
mental in preventing the spread of the
disease in these cases.
In all cases where diphtheria breaks
out in a school, no children should be
permitted to go to the school from
houses where the disease exists. After
school hours, in the evening, the school
rooms should be thoroughly fumigated
with sulphur. This should be done
daily, but the house should be free from
the sulphur fumes during school hours,
for the coughing and sneezing that
might result from the sulphur fumes
would create great annoyance and con-
fusion. Where diphtheria prevails in a
family. the patient or patients, if there
are two or three attacked at the same
time, should be isolated, confined to one
room, and all the children not affected
should be kept in some remote part of
the house, or removed from the house
entirely if practicable. In either case,
whether any of the children are re-
moved from the house or not, every
room, including the one occupied by
the patient, should be tumigated with
sulphur two or three times daily.
The most convenient method of fumi-
eating is to drop small pinch of sui
phur upon hot stove, if there is one in
the room; if there be no stove in the
room, few Goals on q shovel or other
convenient utensh may be carried into
the room, and the sulphur may be drop
ped on the Goals. A little experience
will soon enable any one to determine
how much sulphur to burn in each
room. 1t is not necessary to fill the
room so full of these sulphur fumes as
to suflocate us. and II we happen to
burn little too much sulphur in any
given case, and the fumes become Of
fensive. the doors and windows can be
opened for a minute or two.
Other disinfectants may be employed.
but these sulphur fumes will permeate
every crevice in the house; they are
breathed by us, our clothes are saturated
with them, and. withal, we regard this
as the most practical and effectual meth
cd of disinfection against the spread OF
diphtheria that can be adopted. And
where diphtheria prevails in neigh
borhood. and families fear its outbreak
among their children, they should re-
sort to sulphur fumigation daily. whether
diphtheria has appeared in the house or
not; this may prevent its outbreak in
families that might otherwise suffer from
it, At least this precaution does not
cost much, and can do no harm. These
sulphur fumes will do us no injury
american Med. Journal.