Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1886-10-09
DlPHTHERIA.
Some Important Facts About
this Terrible Disease.
Precautions that Should Be Taken
Against It's Spread.


Diphtheria is a terrible disease, and
when II breaks out in q school, or in 4
family where there are several children,
UNLESS the very best precautions are OBJ
served it IS likely to spread, for it is
disease that may be communicated from
one person to another. 1t IS contagious
Regarding the different measures en-
ployed to prevent the spread CT this dis
ease, We very greatly prefer the fumes of
burning sulphur. We regard 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 sutferingzfrom the disease.
We have had the care Of scores of diph-
theria 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 burn
ing sulphur were instrumental in pre-
venting 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 Gre
ate great annoyance and confusion.
Where diphtherh prevails in o family,
the patient or patients, if there are two
or three attacked at the same time, should
be isolated, confined to onek 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 removed from the
house or not, every room, kncuding the
one occupied by the patient, should be
fumigated with sulphur two or three
times daily.
The most convenient method of fumi-
eating is to drop small pinch of sui
phur upon a hot stove, if there is one in
the room; if there be no stove in the
room, few Goals on a shovel or other
convenient utensil may be carried into
the room, and the sulphur may be
dropped on the Goals. A little expert
encc will soon enable any one to deter
mine how much sulphur to burn in each
room. 1t is not necessary to fill the room
SO full of these sulphur fumes as to suffo-
cate US, and if we happen. to burn a little
too much sulphur in any given case, and
the fumes become offensive, the doors
and windows can be opened for a minute
or two.
Other disinfectants may be employed,
but these sulphur-fumes will psrasstt
every crevice in the house; they art
breathed by US, our clothes are saturated
with them, and, withal, we regard thi:
as the most practical and etfectual meth
Cd of disinfection against the spread ot
diphtheria that can bc adopted. AnC
where dIphtherla prevails in a neighbor
hood, and families fear It's outbreak
/. among their children, they should resort
to sulphur fumigation daily, whether
diphtheria has appeared in the house, o
not; this may prevent its outbreak il
families that might otherwise suffer from
it. At least this rrecaution does no'
cost much, and can DO no harm Thss
sulphur fumes will do Us no injury. :
american h,{lcl Jo4rHal