Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1889-10-22

= The Stale Board OF Health has II
+. sued the following and Is circulatin
- II throughout the State:
PREVENTION OF DIPHTHERIA.
OFFICE OF STATE BOARD OF HEALTH
% BowLrsG GREEN, KY, Oct. II, 1889 (
30 To The Health Officers and People O
Il Kentucky:
The unusual prevalence of diph
iberia In many sections of the State
makes 1t important that the atten tior
of our health officials and people
should be called to the best methods
for preventing the occurrence OF
restricting the spread of the disease.
Diphtheria Is both contagious and
INFECTIOUS, attacking persons of all
ages, but affecting children much
more Than adults. II may be COM
municated from tho sick TO the we'll
directly, or by means of persons,
clothing, toys, pet animals or other
things infected by the sick room, and
especially by cups or other articles
which pass from mouth to mouth.
In a sense II Is "filth disease, some.
times seeming to originate sponta,
neously in the presence of bad sani-
tary surroundings, and certainly
spreading more rapidly, and being
most fatal in such localities,
Diphtheria is preventable disease.
Proper preventive measures are al
most invariably followed by the lin
itation of the disease to the first case
or cases. When 1t gets away from
the primary cases and makes its es.
cape upon the community, somebody
is to blame. The sooner we accept
this as a sanitary maxim the sooner
We shall begin to do our duties as in
dividuals and as communities.
As soon as II 10 known that per-
son has diphtheris, he should imme-
diately be separated from the rest of
the family, and put into sunny,
well ventilated and plainly furnished
room, preferably on the upper floor,
and rs disconnected as possible from
other rooms, especially the living |
and sleeping rooms Of children. No |
other persons besides the nurse and |
other necessary attendants should
be permitted 10 enter the room, and
they should take every precaution
not to carry the infection TO others.
The health officer of the town or
county should be notified within
twenty-four hours, and he should CO.
operate with the physician and fam
lily to keep the disease from spread
Ing. A blue flag, or card with
diphtheria on 1t, In large, plain let
ters, should be placed in conspicu-
GUS position on the house. No child
or person having the care of children
should be permitted to enter the
house.
The discharges from the throat,
mouth and nose are exceedingly
poisonous, and should be received on
soft cloths and burned or immersed
In solution Of chloride of lime, six
ounces to the gallon of water. The
bed and body linen, Immediately
upon removal, should be boiled for
half an hour, or immersed in the G
chloride OF lime solution for twenty
four hours. In no case should such
go into the family wash. II
No person from house where {
there Is diphtheria should 20 into
public assemblies, as churches, fairs c
or concerts, and especially schools. Il
Persons who have had diphtheris 8
should not mingle with the public v
for some time after the last trace Of 4
the disease has left the nose and b
throat, and only after all their cloth
ing has been thoroughly washed or b
tisinfected. No child from. house b
where the disease has prevailed o
should be permitted to enter school o
except upon the certificate of ply b
'ician that IL is safe to do so. a
In case of death the body should be 3
wrapped in sheet saturated with "
he chloride of lime solution, and put Il
n tight coffin. The funeral should q
20 strictly private, and in no case 9,
hould children, or those having chill b
lren be permitted to attend. Il
After death or complete recovery o.
he room should be disinfected under Il
he supervision of the health officer "
n q competent physician. First, Il
mattresses, comforts and other like fl
hings badly soiled should be burned. Il
such clothing and bedding as can be tc
Washed should be boiled or placed in hi
he chloride salution as above direct
d, To disinfect the room proceed ,
s follows: Arrange the contents of u
he room so as TO expose the greatest ~ ~
mount of surface to the action of the =,
islnfectant. Close the apartment as q
as possible, stopping all ~
penings, as chimney flues, key holes, ~
tc., through which the gas might g.
scape. Thoroughly dsmpen the =, -,
oor, walls and furniture. For a ~
DOM ten feet square use three pounds ~ II,
( sulphur, moistened with alcohol, ", =.
n an iron pan, placed in a tub con- =. y.
aiming few inches Of water to avoid X,
anger from fire. When certain the ~
ulphur Is burning well, leave the ~,
oom, close tho door and allow the 8, 8,
Dom to remain tightly closed for ten N n
r twelve hours. Afterwards the =,
Dom should be thoroughly ventilated d, ~
,r several hours, and then the floor,
no lodges over windows and doors,
nd other places likely to retain dust, D.
lould be washed with the chloride
,lution and then with soap and hot
'ater. The house and premises gem
rally should be put in the cleanest co
I'd best condition possible. pc
To be effectual the precautions here an
iggested should be rigidly observed. tie
nperfect isolation and distinction co
re- worse than useless, giving rise ar
1ly TO false sense of security. tn
County and municipal boards of wi
salth have full authority under our be
ws to enforce these rules, end will ov
IL short of their duty if they fail to rel
, 80. Cr
PIcKNEY THOMPSON, M. d, an
President. CO.
j. N MCCORMACK, M. D., Ks
Secretary.
N,