The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-03-04
Precautions Af.er ,carl.l fever.

We note that good medical authorities
place the time that scarlet fever, or
| scarlatina, may be communicated, or
carried about in clothing from one to
two months. That is, IL is not safe for
patients cOnvalescing to mingle with
others liable to take the disease within a
less time than 45 days. The latter state
ment is made ON the authority of The
Medical and Surgical Reporter, Phila-
delphia, of last week. Mothers who
have had or who now have, scarlatina or
scarlet fever in their families should be
very careful that neither their children
nor themselves expose others, especially
where the patients have recovered. In
the case of death there is no GONZALES
cence and therefore much less danger of
contagion.
In the Cyclopgdia of the Practice of
Medicine, Vol. H., edited by DR.. II.
Won Ziemssen, we find a long treatise
upon scarlatina and scarlet fever. This
is an authority no one will question. and
we, therefore, make some extracts as to
cOntagiOn, ETC., that are of moment to
our people at this time.
AS to the contagious nature of the dis
ease known as scarlatina DIR. Ziemssen
observes: "The shortest contact with
the contagious atmosphere of the sick
room may suffice for an infection. Ac-
cOrding to Palante, a mother, after re-
naming only moment with a scarla-
tinous patient, Immediately returned
home, distance of about six miles, but
communicated the disease to her child
rem, i'll whom it developed a few days
after. Hennig tells of child who was
affected four days after having been but
short time in the company of another
child who had been taken sick with
scarlatina sir UeekS before. KOslin was
also convinced that at times very short
contact witha patient was sufficient to
cause an infection. On the whole, how
ever" continues DIR. Zlemssen, "the
volatility of the cOntagion of scarlatina
seems to be much less than that of
measles, and, therefore, spreads less
rapidly throughout dwelling than the
latter; on this account the isolation of
those in family who are unaffected, if
established at q sufficiently early period,
is frequently eifectual in preventing
further spread. This is said of scaTla-
tina, the least feared of the two types of
the disease. And this is the deliberate
utterance of physician eminent in his
profession, and the photography upon
which his editorial utterances, above, is
based comprises several pages of fine
print. The period of incubation is rated
by our authority as from 2 to 4, 2 to D,
aud by some as ~ to Ia days after infec-
ton by contagion. Speaking of the time
the disease can be given DR.. Ziemssen
says: II believe that this variation
should be ascribed rather to the degree
of susceptibility than To the intensity of
the contagiOn." This is warning to
our people that it is not altogether the
most feared cases that may spread the
disease, but it can be communicated by
a very little exposure. 1t must be re-
membered that when scarlatIna appears
in family and the DeH are Immediately
separated and isolated, it is often no
ticed that no other cases appear. II
isolation is good for members of fam
lily it is the prudent course for Others.
We have copied in these paragraphs from
the lesser form of the disease-all, and
more is possible to be truly spoken Of