The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-08-20
How to Prevent the Spread of
DiDhtheria.


From the American Medical journal.
Diphtheria is a terrible disease, and
when it breaks out in a school or in
family where there areseveral children
unless the very best precautions are
observed it is likely to spread, for lis
a disease that may be communicated
from one person to another. 1t is
contagious. Regarding the different
measures employed to prevent the
spread of this disease, we very greatly
prefer the fumes of burning sulphur.
We regard sulphur as the most effect.
i've disinfectant we can use for the pur-
pose OF preventing the spread OF diph-
liberia in schools and in families where
several children are exposed, and it
has a salutary effect upon those al
ready suffering from the disease. We
have had the care OF scores of diphthe-
ria patients, and we canrefer toquite
number OF families of children where
the disease was limited to one child
and we verify believe that thefunes OF
burning sulphur were instrumental in
preventing the spread OF the disease in
these cases.
In all cases wherediphtheria breaks
out in a school no children should be
permitted to 60 to the school from
houses where the disease exists. After
school hours, in heevening, the school
rooms should be thoroughly fumigat-
ed 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 rerult from the sulphur
| fumes would create great annoyance
and confusion Where diphtheriap pre-
walls in family the patient or pa
tients, if there are two or three at
tackled at the same time, should be
isolated, confined to one room, and
all the children not affected should be
kept in some remotepart Of 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 fumigated with
sulphur two or three times daily.
The most convenient method o.
fumigating is to drop a small pinch oi
sulphur upon a hot stove, if there is
one in the room; if there be no stove
in the room, a few Goals
on shovel or other convenient
utensil may be carried into
the room, and the sulphur may be
dropped on the GOALS. A little expert
ence will soon enable any oneto deter
mine how much sulphur to burn il
each room. 1t is not necessary to fill
the room SO full of these sulphurfumes
as to sutfocate US; and if we happer
to burn a little too much sulphur il
any given case, and the fumes becomes
offensive, the doors and windows car
be opened for a minute or two.
Other dislnfectants may be employ
ed, but these sulphur fumes will per
meate every crevice in the house; they
are brcathed by us, our clothes ar,
saturated with them, and, withal. W,
regard this as the most practical ant
etfectual method ofdisinfection agains
the spread OF diphtheria that can b
adopted. And where diphtheria pre-
walls in a neighborhood, and famille
fear it's outbreak among their children
they should resort to sulphur fumiga
tion daily, whether diphtheria has ap
peared in the house or not; this ma,
prevent its outbreak in families tina
might otherwise suffer from it. A
least this precaution does not cos
much and can do no harm. These sui
phur fumes will do us no injury.