The Opelousas courier., 1886-08-21
" -
DIPHTHERIA.
Some Important Facts About
this Terrible Disease.
Precautions that Should Be Taken
Against It's Spread. O

Diphtheria is a terrible disease, and
when it breaks out in a school, or in a
family where there are several children,
unless the very best precautions are OBJ
served it is likely to spread, for it is a
disease that may be communicated from
one person to another. It is contagious.
Regarding the different measures en-
pioyed to prevent the spread of this dis
ease, we very greatly prefer the fumes of
burning sulphur. We regard sulphur as
ne most effective disinfectant we can
use Tor the purpose of preventing the
spread of diphtheria in schools aud in
families where several children are ex-
posed, and it has a s~alutary effect up IN
these already suffering from the disease.
WI have had the care of scores of diph-
iberia 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. s.4
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 schoo
hours, in the evening, the school room,
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 sncezing that might
result from the sulphur fumes would Gre
ate great annoyance and confusion.
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 removed from the
house or not, every room, including the
n occupied by the patient, should be
fumigated with sulphur two or three
times daily.
The most convenient method Of fumi-
eating is to drop a small pinch of sui
phur upon a hot stove, if there is one in
the room if there be nc stove in the
room, a few Goals on a shovel or other
convenient utensil may be carried into
the room, and the sulphur may DO
dropped on the Goals. A little expert
ence will soon enable any one to deter
mine how much sulphur to burn in each
room. It is not necessary to filthe 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, md
the fumes become offensive, the doors
and windows can be opened for a minute
or two.
Other disinfectants may be employed,
pu tnese su'phur-1umes Will permeate
every creviee in the house; they are
breathed oy us, our clothes are saturated
with them, and, withal, we regard this
as the most practical and efTectual meth
cd Of disinfeetion against the spread Of
diphtheria that can be adopted. And
where dIphtheria prevails in a neighbor-
hood, and families fear its outbreak
among their children, they should resort
to sulphur fumigation daily, whether
%diphthsria has appeared in the house or
not; this may prevent its outbreak in
families that might otherwise suffer from
it. At least this ~prccaution does not
cost much, and can do no harm. These
sulphur fumes will do us no injury
american Mcdic1J journal.