The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-12
TALKING OF SANITATION
STATE CONFERENCE OF HEALTH Of
FICERS IN SESSION.
welcome by the Governor-Manage-
ment of Scarlet Fever-Functions
of the State Board.

The seventh annual health conference of
the State assembled yesterday in the Agri-
cultural rooms at the Statehouse, with
about sixty health officers from various
parts Of the State present. During the
morning the physicians listened TO a brief
welcome from Governor Mount and to re-
ports from the various counties as to their
sanitary condition and the working of the
health laws. The afternoon was devoted to
the reading of papers and discussion of
their contents. In the evening the visitors
were entertained with a reception and col
lation by the faculty of the Medical Depart
ment of the University of Indianapolis at
the department building, at Senate avenue
and Market street.
The conference was called to order by DIR.
E. d. Laughlin, of Orleans, member of the
state health board, who presided over the
sessions. Governor Mount was introduced
and received with hearty applause. He de-
1ivered a brief address of welcome, in which
he said:
would give all he had for his life. Surely
life must be dear to US if We are willing
to give all We have for it. 1t is said that
Jay Gould, when he was congratulated upon
his remarkable success in business, pointed
to a robust railroad brakeman employed on
one of his lines and said: i would gladly
give all l lave for that mans digestion.
He preferred good health to all his riches.
Tn Governor declared that a healthy To-
caIty counted for much. Men In seeking
homes made careful inquiry as to the death
rate in the locality. Happiness was not
possible without good health. No neighbor-
hood or State could attain great success
without good sanitary conditions. You
sustain a very important relation to the
State. Into your keeping is committed the
sanitary conditions nf III State PlTR air
pure food and pure water are of great i'm
pcrtance, and it is incumbent upon you to
see that we have these things"
1t was a fact, he said, that many of the
streams of the State are contaminated Cit
les and towns. are forced to draw their
supply of drinking water from these
streams, into which filth is being poured. 1t
is time the attention of the State be direct
ed to these conditions. This is a problem
later.
DIR. Benz made a neat response to the
Governors address of welcome, and the rest
OF the morning was occupied with reports
from various counties. Most of the health
officers reported not a little difficulty in
obtaining vital statistics, through the mac
tivity of the physicians and methods of OBJ
tanning better results in this direction were
discussed.
SCARLET FEVER AND SANITATION.
In the afternoon four papers were read
and discussed at some length. The first of
these was by DR.. N. D. Coke, secretary of
the Owen County Board of Health, upon
the management of scarlet fever. His pa
per was as follows:
'Of the acute diseases, which are exclu-
siVeIy transmitted through the human BODY,
scarlet fever in its relation TO the health OF
the race holds the first place, since the FREE
Quency of smallpox, through protective
measures, has been reduced to a minimum
Scarlet fever is generally recognized by a
dinuse eruption over the body, with an an
gina of more or less severity. 1t is highly
infectious, and when in the stage of desqua-
nation the hne branny-like scales infect
rooms, clothing, furniture, ana, in tact,
everything else with which it comes in con-
tact. In all probability, the infection is
confined to the period Of scaling or, as 1t
is called, and ii strict antlSepSlS and lSola-
ton be rigidly and intelligently enforced in
all cases, mid or malignant, there is but
little doubt that the disease could be stayed
in its course, and many lives, great su1Ieflng
and often an impaired constitution for life
would be avoided. To this end, instead of
Wearying you with a tedious history OF this
dangerous disease of childhood. | propose
to devote a few moments in as practical a
way as L can to the very important ques-
ton of how to manage cases of scarlet
fever so as to prevent it's further spread.
LAS said in the beginning, the scarlati-
nous virus surpasseS any other eruptlVe
fever except V%ariola, in its tenacious at
tachmen TO objects and it's portability to
distant localities.
The disease factor, the infective agent, is
as yet unknown. Thai the disease is due
to some form of micro-orSanlsm there can
be no doubt, and that 1t may be inquired as
being a minute form of life. The lesion OF
the kidney appears to be due to some poi
son produced in the body during the dis
ease. One of the most marked features or
the disease is the predisposition which 1t
entails to the incursion of pathogemic
germs other than those we believe to cause
the disease itself. Thus an infectious,
croupous inflammation in the mouth, tonsll,
pharynX and trachea, due to a streptococ-
Gus, is a frequent complication. True dlph-
iberia. due to the LoItler bacillus, is also
prone to establish itself upon the Vulner-
able infiamed mucous membrane.
.'One attack of scarlet fever, Ill small
pox, protects the organism Tor lie against
The infection. Exceptions to this rule are
rare. Among the pecullarltleS OF the IN
fective material is that it may attach itself
for months and years to clothing, bedding,
house utensils, furniture, books and walls
of dwellings,, and all other objects with
which it comes in contact. The usual meth
DDS heretofore employed in the d1slnfecton
Of rooms furniture, books and clothing has
been in a majority of instances of no avail
whatever and powerleSs TO destroy the
on freeing from the infectious material
those articles of attire and furnishing by
the most rigid antisepsiS and Isolation or
the patient, and the use OF such agents as
science has brought to our notice ON all
objects that have been exposed to the poi
1T being granted that the infec-
tious material may be carried in the cloth
ing and in books, so also must it be deemed
noceihle for adults. healthy people, phySl-
clans and all others who have been III con-
tact with the disease to carry the germs
on the hands, in their hair and clothing.
Cases of this kind are by no means rare
where the infection has been carried in
this way. A case comes to mind of the long
life and the highly infectious nature or
this disease.
GERMS LIVE FOR YEARS.
Several years ago, an epidemic of ma
Iignant scarlet fever invaded my town.
MANY children died. In a family where all
had the disease and in which two died, the
clothing and toys of the baby were put
away in a box or trunk and securely fas-
tened.
Several years after, and in another
house where scarlet fever had never been,
another child was born in the family, and,
after it grew to be nearly two years old,
the fond mother opened the trunk and al
lowed her last born to play with the toys
If IFS dead sister. In the usual time it was
stricken with malignant scarlet fever ana
soon succumbed. Smith, in Disease or Chil-
dren. relates that q librarian OF a clrcu-
lating library of a Sunday school, whose
nuDiiS came largely from tenement houses,
was occupied a considerable part OF Il day
in covering and arranging books. After
about the usual i~ncuhatlVe PERIOD OF scar
let fever he sickened with the disease.
His two sisters were Immediately re-
moved to a rural township three hundred
miles away, and to an Isolated house where
scarlet fever had never occurred. About
one month after his recovery, and after
his room had been disinfected by burning
sulphur and his bedclothing and linen had
been thoroughly washed. and all articles
SUSPECTED to hold the poison had been dis
infected or burned, the brother visited his
nuentIv to his arrival one of these sisters
sickaned with scarlet fever. and a week
later the other also. 1t seemed that the
exposure must have occurred several days