The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-05-29
TO STAMP OUT FEVER.
Health Board Orders All
Schools to Close.
TIE SCHOOL BOARD CONSENTS.
New Ordinance Becomes Law and Ac-
ton Promptly foiiows-tauses OF
the Outbreak.

decide that the epidemic OF scarlet fever
mas been sufflcssmtIy conquered - pernl
VI the reasseafsslng Of children.
This was the result Of Acting Mayor
Miller signing the ordinance passed ~ the
council Monday night which empowers the
hoard OF health 20 take heroac measures
fn the matter OF closing any or al the
schools. On the strength OF this orcf7-
ance and In accordance with lastrtfe tons
recTlyof from the board Of health, the
secretary OF the board. DIR. Palmer. yestef-
day sent TO the secretary Of the school
board a copy Of the resolutions passed. BY
the board and published in yesterday $
Post nteiIigeBcer. together with the foi-
lowsng order attached
In accordance with the above k8struc-
lions h becomes my duty to order that all
the public schools fn the city be closed a.
o'clock "Wednesday. May =. fss@. ana
that they remain closed untH further or
ders.
1T is also ordered BY the board Of
health thai all infected school buildings
snail b. funlQafed and disinfected-
Letters similar lE tenor 20 the foregoing
were sent by Dr. Palmer 10 ali the private
schools Sunday schools, parochial schools
and Catholic converts. all OF which come
under the same restriction and will nave
10 be closed.
The school Board Acquie-ces.
The members OF the board Of education
when seen on the subject were unanimous
tn declaring their intention 70 abide by
the action OF me council and 70 place no
obstacles IN the way OF the board Of health
~ close the schools or to secure the proper
fnmigation Of the infected buildings. The
only question that has ever come up has
been one touching the legality OF the ac-
ton tu order that the teachers may not
call OF the board for their salaries durlGg
the enforced closure OF the schools.
The comra4tte-s on education was In SEA-
sioe for brief period In the office OF Mr.
King Yesterday afternoon and discussed
the question OF salaries for the coming
sehool year. Nothing definite was &C
complished and the committee viii meet
agaIn probably today. The school hoard
did not meet the members saying all han
been done by them that could for the pres
ent he accomplished.
II Is understood that thougn the orders
from the board OF health are very positive
In uegativing assemblies Of children for
entertainment ard other purposes, yet rhe
high school entertainment AT the Seattle
,neater and the participation OF the chill
siren IN the Memorial day exercises VIII
he permitted az elaborate arrangements
for each have already been made.
The Cause and the Preventive.
Health officer Palmer was asked what
was the cause OF scarlet fever. how u
could be prevented, and how an epidemic
could be checked. lie replied;
Every case OF scarlatina originates dl-
rectly o. Indirectly from a previous case
of scarIatina In a greet many cities
aearlatina is epidemic. In the past Seat
lie has had very little scarlatina, the
number OF cases have gradually Increased
in the last two years and several cases
are known TO have been imported from
other cities and states. Although scar
latina is contagious at all stages. from
the very outset before the eruption makes
it's appearance, still the most contagious
period is that Of desquamation, when the
skin peels OFF
.sNost OF the cases have been OF such
mild character that oftentimeS no physlc-
Ian is called and 'the child apparently re-
covers without having been seriously Ill
and is allowed 20 mingie with other chill
dren while the disease is. in fact. In its
most contagious stage. Such unreported
cases are undoubtedly the cause of
spFe aiding the disease To- a large extent
The evidence that there have been such
cases has frequently been too apparent
N the disastrous results of the disease as
shown by cases where physicians were
called in and found serious affections of
the ears or kidneys. due 10 unrecoEnl1ed
=earlatina, Some Of these cases have been
fatal The spread of the disease has been
very much favored by tho criminal dis
regard on the part OF parents OF nstruC-
tions given them as TO isolation of pa
tents and restraining their children from
minglinR with other children. II the dis
ease were treated as smallpox is treated
IL could undoubtedly be summartly sup
pressed. To accomplish this. however. IL
would be necessary TO have "A suitable
hospital for contagious diseases. as rec.
commended in my last annual report TO
the board of health: II would Zoe also
necessary 10 have tho infected premises
guarded night and day 10y watchmen for
a period of not less than six weeks: II
would also he necessary for the city 30
pay the expenses for feeding the people
who were prevented from earning a tiv-
ing. II cases could be taken to the hos
pltal, the quarantine required would be-
only seven days and persons who pre-
ferred not to send their children so the
hospital might be required by law 10 pay
the expenses OF the quarantine | should
be IN favor ar suppressing the disease in
this manner should any future cpidemlcs
of scarlatiua or diphtheria break out The
expense ~ 50 treating the disease. espo-
claliy az the present time when there IS
no hospital for the reception OF Vonta-
aioUs diseases IN this city. must necossar-
ily he very large. and OF course IL VIII he
FOR the council 20 determine Il they should
be Incurred"
What Dr. Holmes Thinks.
pr. $. J. Holmes said
"Epidemics OF scarlet fever seem 20 oc-
cur with the greatest frcqut ucy. prefcra-
bly, in the autumn. and stnl the condition
OF the weather does not influence the chi
deulic. ! believe. II is preSumabie that
they o>cur independent 81 atmosnhcrf,-
conditions and are mainly due 10 person
al intercourse. While II IS true that Ger
tain localities. certain conditions ~ sub
soil density Of population. circumstances
az life etc. may favor what e known as
predispositiou still without personal con
tact and the transmission % confacior,
the spread 81 ccntagion would he certain
~ limited 10 a few cases and those sis-
centibie 20 81: consequently there would
be no epdemic. Epidemics usually start
with few cases tsCattcrcdA. These cases
unres trfcted tnay Scatfer the confacfon
broadcast with the results which / have
SPOKEN Of Cases ~ SCARLET fever are "a
he FOUND IN NEST large and popuiouS
cities az al times hut ertdrmiss are no,
nv any means The rule Scarlet fever sar.
not he prevented IN an individual who Is
susceptible after exposure
You ~iu see. then. that the mo- e..
fe,tuai means % limiting scarlet r,v.r
and preventing sn epidemic IS is. is,ia
ton 90 eases and hy eating OF inter
course between fNe 81 ; and u.en -
mech applies o1iy - tho spread ~ ,he
disease. I presume Ncu DO noe desire re