Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-07-27
DIPH1,IIERL4.
Several Startling Instances of It's Conn
sElkMicNtiOM.


DR.. Young, Secretary of the State
Board of Health, says there is misap-
prehension in thepublic mind regarding
the contagiousness of diphtheria. The
direct communication of the disease is
shown by young lady who came home
sick with diphtheria in mild form, and
on her arrival her brothers and sisters
embraced her. They were all attacked
with malignant type of diphtheria, and
one died. The same young lady visited
her aunt in another family where there
We're four children who took the dis
ease. and one died. No other cases in
the vicinity.
Another instance. At the death of
child from diphtheria two women helped
IN laying it out. One of them who was
o3 years of age, was attacked in few
days, and died in three more, and the
other took the disease in mild form
and recovered. Another case is that Of
a boy who had diphtheria in Boston.
He came to this State to visit relatives,
In few days after his arrival his aunt
washed some of his clothing, and was
taken with diphtheria the next week,
and it went through the family, four
cases. Before the aunt was taken sick
the boy went to another place and
played with another boy, who took the
diphtheria, and gave it to two other per-
sons in that family.
The doctor reports sad case as fol-
lows: An only child was taken sick
with diphtheria and died on the fourth
day. The young mother in her grief
kissed the child and took the disease.
Within week she was buried beside
the child.
In neighborhood where no diph-
liberia had existed for four years a
school-teacher visited city-a notorious
hotbed of diphtheria. He contracted
what he called a slight sore throat. He
returned home with this still upon him
and opened school; in less than week
six were lying sick with diphtheria and
the school was closed. The result was
five deaths, three of which were adults.
In one family three children died of
this disease in the croupous form. The
nurse believed it was not possible to
carry the disease in clothing, and would
not change her dress upon leaving the
house, and was not afraid to take her
children up in her lap upon going home.
She was admonished against such a
foolhardy course. Ten days after she
left the infected house the physician
was called and found her family i'll with
diphtheria Of the most fatal form. One
child died in thirty-six hours after ii
was attacked. Another Casa woman
died Of diphtheria in Lynn, Mass. He,
son brought her clothes and bedding
home. His wife washed them and took
the disease, and died in less than 8
week.
The doctor says that cases like this
which Enthusiastically show the contagi
GUS nature Of diphtheria, are innumer
able, and at the same time there are
endless instances in which diphtheria
has not been communicated to others
exposed to it. This does not prove that
the disease is not contagious. All per-
sons are not susceptible to the infec-
ton. He says another thing which
makes the infection Of diphtheria
doubly dangerous is its persistent vital.
ity. Unless care in disinfecting be taken,
the infection will survive to start mys.
teriously another epidemic at some
future time, months OF perhaps years
nfterward, like the following: A boy
visited family in PASSPORT, where there
was case of diphtheria. He took the
disease in light form and recovered
Upon his return home, his sister, aged
16, took the disease and died in three
days. Six months afterward, another
sister came from Massachusetts and oc.
cupied the room which had been the
sick-room. She took the diphtheria
and died after five weeks sickness.
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