Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-11-08
PREYEHTABLs DISEASES.
FACTS CONCERNING THE DREAD DIS
EASE, DIPHTHERIA.
How 1t May be Avoided - The Bes
Known Methods of Combating
Malignant Enemy.

The State Board of Health has issued an
interesting document devoted to the sub
ject of diphtheria-its prevention and cure.
This is the season of the year when that
disease is most apt to appear, and as ii is
one of the most malignant and stubborn
known to the medical profession. it would
be we'll for people to read carefully what
the experienced physicians of the State
Board of Health have to say on the sub
iect. The circular referred to is signed by
DR.. Il. S. Orme of Los Angeles, President
of the Board, and DIR. G. G. Tyrrell of this
city, the Secretary. They say:
Diphtheria having recently shown evil
dence of tendency to spread and assume
a more malignant type, the State Board OF
Health deems it prudent to disseminate as
widely as possible among the people the
knowledge of certain facts and principles,
which seem to be we'll established. as to
the nature and causes of this disease, and
the best mode of its restriction and pre-
vention.
All are agreed that diphtheria, like other
zymotic diseases, is not the necessary lot of
humanity; that it is preventable; that its
IdNdRSS dl6 uuc, III &c nCdoulCs "
neglect; to the violation, in one way or
another, of sanitary laws, and that, though
it may not be generated by filth, it finds
there soil favorable to its development.
that it grows and hourishes there, and that
the human system is rendered by it espe-
cially sensitive to morbi6c influences of
every kind. A susceptibility to disease,
and to the contagious principle by which it
is propagated, is thus induced and hence
the liability of its dissemination among
the members of family, or others more
remoteiy and indirectly exposed, is greatly
increased. Ii is better, therefore, to avoid
whatever may tend to depress the energies
and lower the vital resistance to disease.
This, it is certain, filth and uncleanliness
in and around the dwelling does.
Though there is much in common
among the contagious diseases as to the
method of their propagation by contagion.
there are differences peculiar to each which
it is important to bear in mind.
In small pox, the special seat of activity
of the contagium-"its breeding places"
to use common TERMS in the skin and
its eruption and the contents of the ve-
sicles, and in the secretions from the mouth
and throat; in scarlet fever, in the skin,
even to the termination of the desqusmat-
i've or peeling process, and in the secre-
tAOhoi Ill AnCdSACoY III tAC chill. anu III luC
discharges from the mouth, nose, and air
passages, and probably in the tears; in
diphtheria, in the throat. nose, or other
seat Of the exudation of membranous de-
post.
These may be considered the special
seets or vehicles of contagion, while in all
these diseases, with varying degrees of GER
tainty, communication may be established
through the breath, the perspiration, the
discharges from the mouth and throat, By
articles of clothing, or other substances
with which the various secretions and ex-
halations of the body may, either through
the atmosphere, or more directly, have
come in contact. There is also reason 10
believe that the contagium of diphtheria is
conveyed by the excavations from the
bowels of those sick with the disease, and
by water or milk contaminated Herewith.
The disease seems also to be capable of
being conveyed by means of the domestic
animals as dogs and cats, which have fire.
quenVed the apartments of the sick.
From a consideration of these general
facts pertaining to the causation of diph-
iberia may be deduced rules for its hygienic
management and its prevention.
ITS HYGIENIc MANAGEMENT.
The disease having been introduced into
q family, the fact Of its contagiousness
should be promptly recognized, and suit
able precautions taken:
(d) By strict isolation of the sick. Shut
of all communication with the house,
especially by children, and admit to the
apartment only those absolutely required
as nurses. Though children are very
much more liable to the disease than
adults, and commonly have it in q more
severe form, the latter do have it, and, be-
sides, by visiting the sick, expose them
selves to the risk of conveying the con-
tagion to others. Visits of sympathy,
therefore, however benevolent and COM
mendable their motives, should be avoided.
(b) Other members of the family-chil-
dren under fifteen years of age more
urgently, for reasons Just stated-should
be removed, if possible, to part OF the
house having no direct communication
with the apartment occupied by the sick
person. If the latter is in the upper stories
of the house, probably the rooms on lower
floors may be safely used.
(c) The room occupied by the sick should
be large, exposed, where practicable, to the
sunlight, and capable of being well ventil-
ated. II should be remembered, in this
connection, that by good ventilation is I'M
derstood an abundance of fresh air without
draught All useless furniture-curtains,
carpets and the like-should be removed
A disinfectant solution should be kept in
the room in an uncovered vessel, in which
infected clothing suitable for washing,
soiled shirts, pillow cases, blankets, etc.
should be soaked before removal from the
apartment. They should then be boiled
The same disinfectant solution, being STAIN
less, may be sprinkled over the bedding
and carpets, when the latter have not been
removed, or it may be occasionally diffused
through the room by an ordinary spray in
strument, thus reaching and destroying in
fictitious particles in the atmosphere.
solution recommended for the above
purposes may be cheaply made by dissolv-
ing eight ounces of sulphate of zinc white
vitriol) and four ounces OF common salt IN
gallon of water. 1t is better than carbolic
acid and has the additional advantage of
being odorless. For convenience the in
gradients may be mixed by using four Ia
iblespoonfuls of zinc, two Of salt and one
gallon of water.
(d) All discharges from the bowels and
kidneys of the patient should be immedi-
ately disinfected by pouring over them,
literally, the disinfectant just mentioned,
or by solution of sulphate of iron (cop-
peras, or green vitriol), made by dissolvi1g
about one and one half pounds of the salt
in a gallon of water. They should then be
removed and preferably. buried, and never
less than one hundred feet distant from any
well.
The secretions of the nose and throat
should be received upon rags, and these
burned
(e) Nurses and attendants should be re-
quired to keep themselves and their pa
tients as clean as possible-their own hands
should frequently be washed and disin-
fected by cnlorinsted soda, or carbolic acid
solution. The attendants upon the sick
should not communicate nor associate with
other members of the family, or with the
public, without having first changed their
clothes and washed and disinfected them
selves. The zinc solution may be advan-
tageously used for this purpose; or thymol
Ia substance obtained from the common
thyme and some other plants). prepared by