The Newtown bee., 1892-05-13
Scarlet Fever Scare.

In this disease, as in small pox, the poison is given off from the bodies of the sick and is not reproduced independently of them. AS we have no knowledge of means of protection corresponding with vaccination, prophylaxis consists solely by the sick, or by articles infected by them. The sick person may communi- cate the disease during the whole period of his illness and cOnvalescence, a period which often extends to five or six weeks, or even longer than this. Infected cloth ing, which has been packed away for months, may communicate the disease; and there are numerous instances on rec ord of it's transmission to children at a distance from the sick, by healthy per sons who have recently come in contact with scarlet fever patients. The lower animals, especially pet cats and dogs which may have visited the sick room unnoticed, or which are thoughtlessly given to convalescent children, for their amusement, constitute a great source of danger. Persons who have suffered an attack of the disease, or who have but little susceptibility to it, may have a slight sore throat as result of exposure to the scarlet fever poison and may con- municate the disease in it's more severe form to unprotected children. One great difficulty in arresting the progress of an epidemic, by isolation of the sick and dis infection, results from the fact that these slight and often unrecognized cases are frequently allowed full liberty. Infect ion has been traced to milk which had been standing in the sick room, or to the same liquid which had become infected at dairy where scarlet fever had pre- vailed and where recent convalescents were permitted to milk the cows.
 All of these facts point to most rigid exclusion of susceptible children from every possible source of infection. The susceptibility of adults is very much less and, when attacked, they usually have the disease in mild form. But their re- sponsibility extends far beyond the point of avoiding the sick for their own pro- lection. Those who are associated with susceptible children have no right, under any circumstances, to visit the room of scarlet fever patient without taking the most thorough precautions with regard to the disinfection of their person and clothing immediately upon leaving it, and, even with these precautions, such a visit cannot be justified when it is made QiunrNIx nr1t If ifry ria ;.o Only those who are in attendance upon the sick should be allowed in the sick room and they must be regarded as in- fected persons, who are not to be permit ted to come in contact with unprotected children while they are engaged in this duty Prize essay by pr G. M. Stem- berg, published by American Public Health Association.
 The body of young man was taken home to Mount Holly, N. J., for burial, two weeks ago. The service was in a church and the body was there viewed by hundreds of people. Now it appears that he died of scarlet fever and the dis ease has become epidemic in the city. Eighty cases are already reported [Courant.
 The results in case of scarlet fever are always uncertain. Not only are it's immediate results highly dangerous, but the after effects, as well. The grade of the disease in each epidemic has an im- portant bearing upon the expectation of results. The greatest mortality occurs in children under ten years of age. The mortality of the first year of life is estimated by Fleischmann at 75 per cent; from the second to the fourth year at 43 per cent; from the fifth to the 12th year at 19 per cent; and from the 18th to the 20th year per cent. Others place the aggregate mortality at 5 per cent Woods Household Practice of Medi- cine.