Milford chronicle., 1893-08-04
A Physlolan's Timely Taik.
sUGG EsTIONs FOR THE RESTRICTION
AND CONTROL OF CONTAGIOUS
DISEASES


AND CONTROL OF CONTAGIOUS
DISEASES
The measures recommended for adoption
and practice in the contributions in the last
few issues Of your journal, will, if strictly
carried out do much for the prevention Of
/ disease in general. There will, however, al
ways be individuals who are alike reckless of
their own safety and careless, if nothing less,
! Of that OF others, and so long also will it be
/ necessary to know how to act to the best
advantage in its presence. To give a few
/ brief instructions to this end is the object of
the following paragraphs.
Isolation, ventilation and disinfectiou as
soon as it is ascertained that any form of
contagious disease has appeared in a family,
or still better, as soon as there IS ground for
suspicion that any sickness which may ap.
pear is contagious, the patient should be re-
moved to an apartment as remote as possible
from the rooms occupied by the family
This room should be large and sunny lex
cept in such diseases as measles, in which
the sight is apt to be affected unfavorablY by
an access of Light and by preference should |
be in the upper story of the house
1t should be prepared for the patients use
by removing from it all unnecessary art /
icles OF furniture, all wooden carpets, the 1
contents of all closets, clothing, except what /
is actually in use by the patient or his at /
tencauts, curtains, tabfe-spreads, books, in
short everything not required for the COM
fort Of the sick person and those having
him IN charge
For the room so prepared no one should
be admitted during the whole time of the
sickness except the physician and the
nurses.
The latter should wear garments of such
material as will admit of being cleaused by
boiling.
Nothing that goes into the sick-room
should be used By any one outside of it uu-
til it has undergone isinlection-especially
no one should partake of food of auykind
that has been carried into the ROOM no mat
ter though it should have been Immediately
removed therefrom; even the dishes that
have contained such food should be cleaused !
by themselves. AHy remaiHs of food !
that has been in the room are to be de
stroyed, preferably by burning, as also are
any bits OF of cloth of anykind that mat
have been used to cleanse the patients
mouth or Hose and generally, anything
IF little value by means of which the spe-
,iic poison of the disease may be commun- O
Gated. When it is necessary, the floor I
md walls, together with the furniture in
he room, may be cleansed sufficiently by
means of damp CLOTH and this, with the
lust, etc, adherlng TO it, should also be {
promptly burned. G
The destruction of all the matters named a
nay be safely accomplished in an ordinary
tove having good draught Under no cir
umstances should the soiled clothing from
he sick room be placed in the genaral wash
ntil it has been disiufected by being
lunged into boiling water or by having It
cen subjected to the action of some one R
the disiufeetiag agents to be hereafter b,
lentioned. d,
In several forms of disease, the discharges st
ON the bowls and bladder appear to be h,
apable of developing the specific poison of 81
le disease in very intense form, and in al W
lost all forms of contagious disorders these 81
are the sources of danger. They ca
aould, therefore, be received in vessels con to
lining some disinfectaut, and as soon as
ossible removed from the room aud proper
: disposed of by being burned or buried
the first.
VENTILATION. "
It has been already remarked that the
ck-room should be as large and sunny as
racticable. 1t should also be capable Of be-
lg thoroughly aud constantly ventilated, for
iere is no better means of depriviug conta- ey
ion of its power than by dilutiug it to the c.
tmost extent possible with pure fresh air.
/ any ordinary room ventilation is best ac- tiC
1mplished through the windows aud the Bl
replace, if there be one. If there are
ermit, the windows to be kept open, if d.
ossible one at the bottom and another at the
,p If there be an opening into the CHM A
eV, Il also SnOulQ De uLlllHeQ ANY uElu0u
Ill answer that iusures steady and constant w
aange in the air of the room, without sub
citing the patient to the risk of draught or
chill, :.
DISTINCTION. -
During the course of any contagious dis F,
lse everything used in the sick room should mr.
e carefully disinfected before being Iemov- fr
3 therefroin, aud the simplest as well as the he
lost readily obtainable, aud one of the most n,
ltaf f-ar fan tqead fha
rolonged action of boiling water. Into this
L articles of clothing, whether bed or body,
1ould be thrown as soon as possible after of
,moval from the bed or person as also c.
iould any other things used by or about
ie patient that can be thus treated. II IS
oubtfui if any Of the disiufectant materials
used for the destruction of disease
erms in excreta are better or more certainly tic
fectiYe their purpose in the hands of the Di
eneral public than is boiling water, the cost eff
+ which is only the trouble of preparing II. Gu
orrosive sublimate is undoubtedly one OF
ie most powerful and efficient disinfectants.
at should be looked after by the attending
hysician and under his advice. At the end
any contagious disease, whatever it may
e. the room, the bedding, and everything
lat has been used during the continuance Z
the sickness must be carefully disiuiected. =
II c 'othiug and other matters that can be 50
eated should be thoroughly boiled
For the apartment aud the furniture and
1ch articles as cannot be thus treated, dis hi
Election is best effected by means Of sulphu OF
,us acid gas, generated by burning sulphur B
the proportion of two pounds for every
iousand cubic feet of space. Thus for a
,om twelve by sixteen feet on the floor aud
n # high, about a pounds ofsulphur would
e required The room should be closed as
ghuy as possible, and the birthstone placed
a vessel that shall be safe as respects the
anger Of firing the premises 1t may then be
ct on ere in any convenient way, the room
ept closed during the burning and for several
ours thereafter; at the expiration of this
me the room should be freely ventilated
Chlorine gas is thought by many to be Of
power as disinfectant, but should
e used under the direction Of the physician :,
r health officer, as it is less manageable ~
nd more dangerous in uuskllled hands fh
FER fumigstion, the walls and ceiling should dc
G thoroughly whitewashed, or II papered nt
he papering renewed, the floor and wood ~
'ork scrubbed aud the apartment returned Fl
; its customary uses. During the fumiga- Dr
on the furniture and bedding should be 2a
pread out in the room 80 that the fumes "a
nay reach all parts Of them. Lack Of care NJ
d this respect, the poison may be retained
] places where it was supposed to have th
cen destroyed, aud has re-asserted its fatal Oh
overs over the first chance conner whose y
ystem was in a condition favorable 10 its re- lr
option aud development or
Possibly, in our next communication, we ai
lay take up special communicable diseases, +,
Asiatic Cholera as our coantry IS Z,
with it as visitor. CITIZEN al
Are Won insured If not, now is the time y
) provide Yourself and family with a bottle *
+ Chamberlain's Collie, Cholera aud Diar- n
,oaa Remedy as An insurance against any v