The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-03-11
THE SCARLET FEVER.

In addition to what was said by us last
week, we reprint rules /, 2, 8 and of
the State Board of Health, for the pur-
pose of calling attention to the plain
uiolationS of the same. The rules are
as follows:
81. Any householder in whose dwell
ing there shall occur case of scarlet
fever, diphtheria, typhoid or typhus
fever, smallpox or cholera, shall imme-
diateiy notify the selectmen or health of
| ficer, who shall at once report the same
to the secretary of the State Board of
health.
| 80. When a physician knows or sus-
poets that any person to whom he has
been called, is sick of a communicable
disease dangerous to the public health,
he shall Immediately report the same to
the selectmen or health officer, who at
once shall notify the teacher or principal
of every school, academy or seminary,
requesting said teachers or principals to
dispense with the attendance of all pu-
pills residing in the family in which such
disease exists.
''3. 1t shall be the duty of the physi-
clan, and of all other attendants upon
persons affected with such diseases, to
avoid exposure to the public of any gar
ments or clothing about their persons,
that may have been subjected to the risk
| of infection.
"a. No person who has smallpox ,diph
liberia, scarlet fever, measles or whoop
ing cough, shall attend school or any
place of public worship or amusement"
1t will be seen that measles" is
among the diseases restricted by these
regulations. Every one of our local
readers know that all through last Au-
tumn the measles was allowed full swing
aad that no means were taken to avoid
the contaglOn. How is it with the scar
let fever
How many of the twelve or fourteen
families we can name If necess AIRY, where
scarlet fever has or does now prevail,
have complied with Rule /? How many
of our physicians have complied with
Rule 2? We think the medical profess
sion have some duty they owe the public
as well as their patients. The grave
danger to the public comes at time
when the physicians duties are usu-
ally done-is it too much to ask that our
doctors see to it that the families they
attend comply with Rules and AZ
OF the families mentioned above, we
know of none that have passed the dam
ger period of As to 90 days. Is there a
health officer or attending physician
looking after these thingsP We think
not, except it may be in particular
cases, because we know of instances like
the following. In one instance the bed
ding and clothes, from diphtheria pa
tient who died, were exposed or aired in
a publicly frequented place exposing the
children of the Graded school.
In another instance the same thing
was done with a scarlet fever case, ex-
posing the children of neighborhood.
Why were not orders issued to burn
these things or to fumigate them inside
doors2 We have known of people at
tending both public worship and public
amusement while they had at home con-
valescents of scarlet fever or scarlatina-
the latter just as dangerous as the first.
Has anything been done about this?
In view OF these facts, and others we
might name, are we not justified in say
ing that but for an Overriding Provi-
dence, and not because of any local pre-
cautions, have we escaped, if es-
capped it be, an epidemic of
scarlet fever equal in volume to
that of the measles. 1t does seem
as if the people had rights here that
someone in charge or in authority are
bound to respect.
Not child or grown person from any
one of the families who have GONZALES
cent scarlet fever patients should be al
lowed to attend single public or pri-
vate assembly of any sort until the peri
cd of possible contagion is passed, and
an authoritative list should be placed in
the Graded school, in the churches and
Library hall with instructions to bar
them out if people will not comply with
the Rules above.