Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-02-19
THE SCARLET FEVER.

There has been a good deal Of pressure
brought to bear on the school committee this
week to induce them to close the schools on
account Of the presence of scarlet fever In
the village, but the members of the commit
tee are agreed in believing it the wiser way
to have the schools go on as usual and will
therefore continue the sessions, making no
change from the ordinary routine except To
see strictly to it that no children are allowed
in the schools from families or houses where
the fever exists. Their decision seems to US
a wise one. With this precautionary rule
strictly observed the danger of infection is
reduced to u minimum, and when the chill
dren are in school both the committee and the
parents know where they are but with the
sessions suspended the children get uneasy,
they must have exercise and occupation, and
l1e result is that they run together promis-
cuously, and the danger Of contsgion is large
ly increased over what it would be II all were
going on with their ordinary work. The com
mittee are satisfied, from their experience in
closing the Reed street school earlier in the
season that this is what would happen. All
OF them have children in the schools, aud
with single exception their children have
not had the fever and are liable to take it.
The prevalence of the fever is not greater,
and the danger of It's spread is not greater
than it has been at any time during the sea
son. From careful enquiry among physicians
and in various parts of the village We are
satisfied that this is the case. The death Of
two children in well-known families within
three days of each other aroused universal
sympathy and caused increased apprehension
on the pare of all parents for tue time being,
but there is no cause other than this for the
uueasiness which has prevailed this week
The fever is not epidemic and shows no more
signs of becoming so than it did month
ago. In proportion to the whole number of
children the number Of cases of fever is small
and is not on the increase. In one instance
alarm was felt in the high school because it
was reported that girl living on cemetery
hill had gone home i'll with the fever, but 1t
| proved that her illness was only slight aud
was not from scarlet fever.
1t is a fact which has its amusing side that
| in nearly all cases where children have been
kept out of school by their parents they are
allowed on the streets where they mix with
whomever happens to be there, and even go
into public Assem- bages where they run four
| fold more risk than as though they were in
the carefully quarantined schools.
O1e thing must be said, however and that
| is that in too many cases families where the
| fever has got foot-hold show culpable ig-
norance of the means which should be used
to save others from the infection. II Yer
mont bad state board of health, as it ought
TO have, armed with proper authority, such
board would insist, if called upon to act,
that every case of the fever should be care
fully isolated and that there should be no IN
necessary communication with families where
1t existed, and that neither the members of
such families nor visitors should expose 9TH
ers to the infection through their clothing or
| otherwise They would not ALLOW public
funerals to be held, and they would compel
the isolation OF persons recovering from the
fever until all possible danger of communi-
eating it was passed. Lastly they would see
to it that all infected premises we're properly
d Subjected before they we're returned to their
ordinary uses. These precautions are only
the most ordinary ones they are simple and
Ineligible, and every family is in duty bound
to observe them If occasion requires.