The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1891-05-30
DIPHTHERIA.
Means for the Prevention of The Spread
ing of That Dread Disease.


ing of That Dread Disease.
The State Board of Health has issued
pamphlet on the subject of restricting and
preventing that dread malady, diphtheria,
from which the following extracts are given:
When a child or young person has a
sore throat, and especially if it has fever, 1t
should Immediately be kept separated from
all other persons, except necessary attend
ants, until it be ascertained whether or not
it has diphtheria or some other communi-
cable disease.
Every person known to be sick with
diphtheria should be promptly and thor
oughly isolated from the public; no more
persons than are actually necessary should
have charge of or visit the patient, and
they should be restricted in their intercourse
with other persons.
Plain and distinct notices should be
placed upon the premises or house in which
there is person sick with diphtherla, and
no child should be allowed to enter.
Householders or physicians should I'M
mediately give notice of the first case and
of every case of diphtheria to the local
health officer, or to the secretary Of the
State Board of Health This is required
by the law Of 1890.
The room into which one sick with diph-
liberia is placed should previously be cleared
of all needless clothing, carpet, drapery and
other materials likely to harbor the poison
of the disease The room should constantly
receive liberal supply of fresh air, with
out currents or draught directly upon the
patient. 1t will be well, also, to have the
sun shine directly into the room.
The discharges from the throat, nose and
mouth are extremely liable to communicate
the disease, and should be received in YES
sells containing strong disinlectant, or on
soft rags or pieces of cloth, which should
Immediately be burned.
The discharges from the kidneys and
bowels are also dangerous, and may be
passed into vessels containing strong So
luton of sulphate Of iron (copperas), and
then be buried at least 300 feet from any
well; the discharge may be disinfected by
thoroughly mixing with each discharge not
less than one ounce of chlorinated lime;
when this is impracticable they should be
passed on old cloths, which should imme-
diately be burned
The clothing, towels, bed linen, &c, on
removal from the patient should at once,
before removal from the room, be placed
in pail or tub of boiling hot zinc solution,
made in proportion as follows Water, one
gallon; sulphatc of zinc. four ounces; com
mon salt, two ounces.
Nurses and attendants should be re-
quired to keep themselves and their patient
as clean as possible; their own hands should
frequently be washed and disinfected by
chlOrinated soda.
All persons recovering from diphthcrla
should be considered dangerous; therefore
such a person should not be permitted to
associate with others, or to attend school,
church, or any public assembly until the
throat, and any sores which may have been
on the lips or nose, are healed, nor until
in the judgment of careful and intelligent
physician he can do so without endangering
others; nor until after all his clothing has
been thoroughly disinfected, and this with
out regard to the time which has elapsed
since recovery, if the time is less than one
year. Nor should Il person from premises
in which there is or has been case of
diphtheria attend any school, Sunday
school, church or public assembly, or be
permitted by the health authorities or by
the school authorities to do so, until after
disinfection of such premises and of the
clothing worn by such person, if it shall
have been exposed to the contraction of the
disease
The body Of person who has died of
diphtheria should be washed with zinc So
luton of double the strength stated above,
then wrapped in sheet wet with the zine
solution and at once be buried. In no case
should the body be exposed to view.
No public funeral should be held at
house in which there is case of diphtheria,
ror in which death from diptheria has
recently occurred. Except under extraor-
binary precautions there should be no pub
lie funeral of person who has died from
diphtheria. No child should attend, and
it would be better in most cases that few
adults should attend funeral of person
dead of diphtheria.
After death or recovery from diph-
liberia, the room in which there has been a
ease of diphtheria, whether fatal or not,
should, with all its contents, be thoroughly
disinfected by exposure for several hours
to strong fumes of burning sulphur, and
then, if possible, it should be exposed to
currents of fresh air.
Distinction Of room always necessi-
tates vacating it, and sometimes makes it
impossible to remain in adjoining rooms,
therefore in some cases it seems essential
to have hospital, tent or other temorary
shelter for the inmates of infected houses,
where bathing, disinfection and washing
can be done while such houses are being
disinfected and put in order On this
subject local boards of health should be
consulted and should be prepared to act.