The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-11-20
DlPHTHERIA- SCARLET FEVER.

y
many deaths in our State. For this rea
son, and that it is to large extent pre-
ventable disease, the State Board of Health
have issued this document, hoping to dis
seminate among the people such facts
known about the disease, as may restrict
its spread and prevent its occurrence.
Diphtheria is a contagious and infectious
disease, and the strict observance of the
following rules and precautions are urged
upon all who may come in contact with it
l. When child has sore throat with
fever, and especially when diphtheria is
present in the neighborhood, it should be
kept apart from others until competent
physician has determined it is not diph
liberia.
2. When q person is known to be sick
with diphtheria, ne should Immediately be
separated from all others, excepting his
attendants, and removed to a room which
should be specially prepared for his occu-
pancy.
3. This room should be prepared by re-
moving from it all superfiuous furniture,
carpets, extra clothing, books, window cur
tains and all other similar articles not
needed in the room. 1t should be as re-
mote as possible from the family rooms
preferably, in the upper story-and care
should be taken to secure an abundance of
fresh air, without exposing the patient to
direct drafts.
f. A card with "Diphtheria" on it in large,
plain letters should be placed in a conspic-
uous position on the house in which there
is person sick with the disease. No child
should be allowed to enter the house.
s. No one should be admitted to the sick
room, except the necessary nurses and at
tendants.
g. No food or drink which has been in
the sick room should be partaken of by the
well. The dishes carried in should be
washed separately.
T. Under no circumstances should the
bed clothes or the patients body linen be
mixed with the other soied clothing, or be
admitted to the general wash, without be-
ing first thoroughly disinfected.
g. All persons recovering from diph-
liberia are dangerous, and should not be
permitted to attend school, church. or any
public assembly until, in the Judgment of
a careful physician, they are no longer a
source of conta gion.
9. No public funeral should be held of
any person dying of diphtheria. In no
case should any child be permitted to
attend.
DISTINCTION.
When case of diphtheria occurs, let the
following disinfectant solutions be pre-
pared at oncce:
Solution No. f.-Dissolve chloride of lime,
of the best quality, in soft water, in the
proportion of four ounces to the gallon.
Solution No. 2.-Dissolve sulphate of iron
(known also as copperas) in kot water, in
the proportion of two pounds to the gallon.
Ut has been demonstrated that copperas
is not properly disinfectant 1t is an ex-
cellent antiSeptic, arreSting putrefactive
decomposition, but does not destroy the
vitality of disease germs or the injecting
power of material containing them. Hence
it must not be substituted for Solutions No.
l or No. 81
Rules for DjRinfectjon-1. The discharges
from the throat, mouth and nose are ex-
ceedingly poisonous and should be received
on soft cloths which must be Immediately
burned or immersed in Solution No. /.
2. The discharges from the kidneys and
bowels, and vomited matters, are also dan
gerous, and should be received in vessel
containing Solution No. l. Retain in the
vessel fifteen minutes when the contents
may safely be thrown into the water
closet or privy vault.
3. The soiled clothing, bed linen, towels
etc, should at once, before being carried
from the sick ROOM be placed in boiling
water and boiled for thirty minutes If,
for any reason, this can not be done. they
may be soaked in the following solution:
Solution No. 3.-Dissolve corrosive subli-
mate in hot water, in the proportion of two
ounces to the gallon. Label poison, and
keep in wooden or earthen vessel.
Take two fluid ounces or a half-teacup-
full of this solution to one gallon of water,
and let the articles to be disinfected be
thoroughly soaked in this, remaining i'm
mersed at least two hours; they may then
be wrung out and sent to the wash
4. The body of person who has died
of diphtheria should be washed with So
luton No. l and wrapped in a sheet wet
with the same. The body should be buried
at once, and in no case should be exposed
to view
5. After death or recovery of the sick,
fhn ft1rs,i fT11.a and 9TH a
not to be destroyed, must be thoroughly
disinfected.
a. 1t is best to burn all articles which
have been in contact with the person
Those too valuable to destroy may be
treated as follows:
b. All articles which can be washed NAV
be treated according to Rule 3, under Dis
infection.
C. Clothing and bedding which can not
be washed may be disinfected by exposure
to dry heat for three or four hours. A
temperature of 300 Fab. must be main.
tanned during this time, and the articles
freely exposed, i. g., not folded or arranged
in piles or bundles.
Z. The room and all articles in it, which
can not be treated by either of the above
methods, must be thoroughly fumigated.
a. The contents of the room should be SO
arranged as to expose the greatest amount
of surface to the action of the disinfectant
Heavy wooden clothing silks, furs, stuffed
bed covers and similar articles, should be
hung up in the room and pockets turned
inside out. Pillows, mattresses, upholstered
furniture, etc, must he cut open and the
contents spread out for fumigation
Carpets are best fumigated on the floor
After fumigation, these articles must all
be hung in the open air and thoroughly
beaten and shaken.
s. To disinfect room by fumigation,
proceed as follows:
a. Close the apartment as completely as
possible, stopping all openings through
which the gas might escape. Thoroughly
dampen the floor, walls, and furniture.
b. For a room about ten feet square,
take three pounds of sulphur, broken into
small fragments For larger rooms use O
proportionately larger amount of sulphur
Put it into an iron pan, and to avoide dan.
ger from fire, support the pan on bricks
placed in tub containing a few inches OF
water. Moisten the sulphur with alcohol
and set on fire, being careful not to breathe
the fumes of the burning sulphur. When
certain the sulphur is burning well, leave
the room, close the door, and allow the
room 30 be tightly closed for several hours
C. Open all the windows and air the
room thoroughly for several hours. II the
wall and ceilings are papered, remove the
paper and burn it. The floor, walls, cell
ing, wooden furniture, etc, should be
thoroughly washed with a solution made by
adding two pints Of Solution No. to foul
gallons of water. Allow this to remain or
for twenty-four hours, and then scrut
thoroughly with soap and hot water.
g. The house and premises generally
should be put in the cleanest condition DOS