The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-09-28
CLOSE THE SCHOOLS.
Children Have More Tina for
Education Than to DE-"
ARE 4 DOCTORS WBIGHTY WORDS.

Better That One Month of Schooling
should be Missed Than That Any
bOdy's Child should Come to Hts
Death-If 1t is Your Child1
The city schools should be closed
Doctors are generally agreed that it is
dangerous to the children of the city TO
allow the schools 10 continue The board
of education has not taken any steps 10
close the schools and no meeting has
been called. Hundreds of parents have
determ to keep their children away
from school next Monday. 1t ls the safe
plan.
Mayor Fellows this morning detailed
Sidewalk Inspector Withers u do sani--
tary work, and he has notified W. E
Stewart of North Topeka of his appoint
ment as sanitary officer The mayor
says that he appointed Stewart last
Thursday, but he mas not been able to
serve because he has been on jury. No
notices of appointment have yet been
filed with the city clerk, but Mr. Withers
went TO work this morning.
DR.. Westerfeld, who is member of
the board OF education, said today: " The
matter of closing the schools ID left with
the superintendent. If he thinks it is
necessary to close the schools he may
close them. The board of education has
taken no action. but the schools will be
closed if il is necessary"
VIM. Macferran, who is also a mem
Der of the board OF education. said: ''The
question of closing the schools has not
Ueen called to my attention. II there is
any danger the schools should be closed
at once"
DR.. NJ. B Ward said: "If the city is
gong to have a strict quarantine of the
infected cases 1 think the schools SHOULD
he closed, but if the children with the
disease are to be allowed to run in the
yards and on the streets. then there is no
use of closing the schools"
DR.. 6. A Wall said: "Of course the
schools should be closed right away.
The people do not realizs how easily the
| disease is contracted and there is every
reason why the schools should be closed"
DIR, c. II. Guibor, who is considered
one of the best specialists on throat dis
eases in the west. is very much stirred
| up about the manner in which the dis
ease has been handled. He said in talk
! ing bout diphtheria: "DIphtheria does
not arise de novo but is produced by the
reception in or upon some part
Of the system, of the spe-
ci6c germ. These germs live and
multiply in sewers, damp cellars in i'll
ventilated places and places protected
from Ihe sunlight where refuse gathers. >
at can also be cOmmunicate ed by ami
mails, exposure to the breath of an inject
| ed individual or few moments in the in
| fected room may produce the disease.
| The germ adhsres tenaciously to objects,
and weeks after by contact the disease
may be produced in an otherwise healthy
person.
"lt is not necessary to have membrane
| or patches on the tonsils to determine
! hui If nf din HI ri II Z,
cases are so slight 10 be some times
termed walking cases. an inspection of
| he throat has not shown any diphther-
tic membrane, and the child has not
been suspected of having diphtherla, but
| it had infected others who had
violent and grave attacks. Numer-
| Gus cases have been reported that have
died, aud yet no one recognized the
| diphtheria until within a few hours
| prior 10 the death of the child and other
| children become infected because the
| disease was not recognized in time. The
| bacilIi remain virulent as late as four
| weeks after the Disappearance of the
| membrane from the throat and may in
| feet another person.
"The presence of the baciIli in the
| healthy throat has been demonstrated
| after having been in contac. with diph.
| theriafic cases aud they have Infected
|
| disease themselves. Escherich reports
a case wherein nurse infected a num-
Der of children with diphtheria and an
examin alton revealed the fact that there
WAS no diphtkeria in her case and never
had been, but numerous bacilli were in
the throat and these were the cause of
| The infections.
sThe vitality of the bacilli is remark
able and this no doubt accounts for the
| reason that we are not able to stamp il
out Bacili have been known to live
on chiId's plaything for five months
and dried on silk thread for 172 days
4 girl who examined her mothers
clothes two years after the mother aad
lied with dIphtheria had an attack OF
the disease.
Il consider the disinfectent used Insult
ficient to destroy the disease germs The
burning of dry sulphur will not Kill the
germ. In the Nsw York infant asylum
It was shown that the burning of dry