The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-11-01

forcible sternness points out, Is tha' III
this terrible loss of beautiful, growing
child life the country over is all unneces-
sary, because it is preyentaole. blph'heiI"
can be fairly drenched out with Re"
pals of disinfectant, if applied to The prs.
case on its earliest appearance out
this be delayed the disease spreads from
house to house. Schools and churcnes De-
come contaminated. The observations OF
English physicians have proved beyond
doubt that domestic animals. ike cats
fowls, rabbits, etc, carry diphtheria rom
house to house, and communicate IL 10 the
children. The local supply OF mix De-
comes infected, and air finally becomes
charged with diphtheria poison. In TINS
miners settlement diphtheria IS described
as probably epidemic all the year around.
The evil conditions of bad sewerage, iouI
drainage, cesspools and polluted drinking
water create the soil in which the germs
Of the disease are long preserved, are dls-
tributed and at some time favorable 10
disease begin their work.
Concerning the infectious quality OF
diphtheria the Philadelphia Press says:
In nearly all cases carefully investigated
there is some center OF infection ready to start
the disease on its contagious and deadly way
II may be the milk of diseased COW, the III
ness of a cat or a pet pigeon-to name clearly
established cases. The disease may Hollow con-
tact with slight case Of throat disease IN per
son apparently well, or from clothing used
years be ore by diphtheritie patient IL may
be carried by a seamstress, herself well, from
q r.kf arfft n rFY QF
spring up on the occupation OF room IN winch
diphtheria had been months before.
These are we'll established facts. Chill
dren have taken diphtheria from fondiing
sick turkeys and other barnyard fowls to
which they had access. The one and only
remedy is the immediate isolation and
summary disinfection Of the patient and
all its surroundings. The nurse in every
case should always be disinfected before
she Is allowed to go abroad, for people who
do not have diphtheria can carry its infec-
ton and give it to susceptible children.
The subject is of such vast public i'm
portance that in Michigan the law gives
the state health officers such full powers to
protect the public against this disease that
the deaths following each outbreak have
been cut down to one-fourth or one-ifth
of their old figures. DR.. Baker, the sec
rotary of the Michigan State Board of
Health, reports that in 1888, when isola.
ton and disinfection were neglected, there
were 1850 cases and 2.3S deaths per out
break. Where these precautions were
used the cases averaged less than 2, or LA
to an outbreak, and the deaths one to two
outbreaks, or SO to each center Of infec-
ton.
These figures mean that Michigan has
saved over 1000 lives and 5000 cases in one
year by enacting and enforcing adequate
legal precautions against this awful deci-
mating scourge of diphtheria, while Penn
sylvania loses every year from 1000 to
5000 lives, and has from 10000 to Is 600
preventable cases of diphtheria, all because
of the neglect of this great state to enact
legislation adequate to enable the state
board of health and the local boards to iso-
late and disinfect cases of diphtheria.
In England the health officers are
clothed with such arbitrary and peremp-
tory powers that if case of typhoid fever
should occur in Windsor Castle, or any
other royal residence, the house would
instantly be taken in charge by the
medical authorities, and not evacuated
until the source of the disease traced out,
and all danger of its spread removed and
guarded against. In the United States
as a whole in 1880 there were 51.33 deaths
from dlphtheria for each 1000 deaths
from all causes. Through all our states,
and especially in mining districts, the
disease lies latent in the soil that breeds it,
ready to break out at any moment. 1t be-
hooves the medical men Of both Washing
ton and Oregon TO urge their legislatures
to initiate the action of Michigan. There
is nothing more disgraceful to an intelli-
gent civilization than the spectacle of the
needless destruction of valuable human
life through the legislative failure to en-
act and enforce the scientific suppression
of preyentable diseases.
The lives lost through diphtheria are
not only valuable from material point of
view, but wholesale mortality among
young children in the bloom and strength
and beauty of their early days inflicts
CD 4 TNNT IT OPERA