The times., 1898-10-04
SPREAD OF DRHTHERIA
An Epidemic of Disease Among
School Children.
THE DISTRICTS AFFECTED
Why His Department Is Unable to
Effectively Cope with Existing
Conditions-suEEe for Hand
ling ssckness Supposed TO be Com
tagiOus-Hinis TO Nurses.

Diphtheria is spreading rapidly in two
thickly populated sections of the city.
Since the opening of the present school
year several weeks ago, the disease has
become an epidemic in the northwestern
part OF Georgetown and in Southwest
Washington. below the Mall, and the
rate Of Increase has been so large that
the officers of the health department say
1t must continue now for some consid-
erable time before il can be checked.
The health office is using every precau-
tion TO prevent a further spread of the
disease. however, and carefully each case
is watched and recorded as soon as re-
ported by the attending physician. In q
back room on the sixth floor of the Dis
trict building is large chart of the city,
upon which a record OF all diphtheria
and scarlet feTer-cases- is kept by means
of pins stuck through tiny squares of
blue pasteboard onto the map wherever
a case is located.
A glance at the chart shows that in the
vicinity OF Twenty-seventh and T Streets
northwest the disease is most prevalent.
In Southwest Washington, also, the little
blue squares denoting the presence of the
epidemic are very numerous. Otherwise
the disease is widely distributed. several
cases being at considerable distance from
the city in the District.
A record Of each case is also kept in a
large book under the care of one of the
assistant physicians of the department,
and in this volume ten new cases We're
recorded yesterday. AS soon as recorded
Sanitary Inspector John E. Walsh and
DR. Maurice E Miller reported these new
cases 10 Health officer Woodward. They
also placarded the houses and quaran-
tined the patients.
The diphtheria book shows that there
were SIX new cases reported Sunday,
eight on Saturday. eleven on Friday and
seven on the day previous, making a
total of l03 cases now under treatment in
this city AT the close of the previous
week there were only sixty-eight cases.
The Explanation.
Health Officer Woodward made the fol-
lowing statement yesterday: 'At the
close of business today there were los
cases on the books OF the department.
ent places, ard there were at the same
time sixty-eight cases of scarlet fever
located in fifty houses. Both diseases
have been increasing slowly Cor several
weeks. in fact, ever since the schools re-
opened. great difficulty in The ma
jority OF cases is the failure on the part
OF parents to realize in time the nature
OF the disease with which child Is
affected. 1t is not unusual for the de-
partment TO receive reports fro:l two or
more children IN the same family at the
same time In these cases one child con-
tracted the disease from the other.
This. combined with the limited au-
thority which the health department has
over the cases which are known 10 eN-
ist may be said 20 account for me spread
OF the disease.
When asked for a suggestion Of some
means to make the authority ard voIk
of the health department ;nore cf ectlve
Dr. Woodward said:
Il have already and Won again sUe'
gest that the public schools oL ihe CITY
be visited every day by 4 corps C lhysi
clans whose duty it should be = exam ms
every child and send home al Wlo arr
affected with contagious diseases. ) n:
system has been and Is SIM 'l-'ei sccee--s
fully in the cities Of New York, 81 stoI
and Providence. While ] WIS II CIlawi
attending the annual conva 1'ion Of I'M
American Public Health Association las
week | heard several reports ','HA M
success of this plan Of inspection aske'
for an appropriation for the purpose las
wear. and have again male similar re
quest of the Commi. sioners
THE present epidemic again demon
strates the need of a rigid quarantine
such as is not now authorized py ID"
for dinhtheria and scarlet fever, ana
Tublfc disfnfectant service whereby ever
uerson. rich or poor, will be enabled I
have their premises properly disintecte
bv meu. trained to do such work. The re
Quest for a disinfectant service has bee
made annually for four years
Regulations Violated.
.aThe disease would not spread so rap
fdly if the people would comply wit
health regulations and notify the depart
ment lust as soon as cases come to thei
notice. For instance, today We receive
a death certificate showing that chill
who had died of diphtheria at Langdon
in the District. was TO be buried, and ye
we had received no other notice, eithe
from a physician or from the family, tina
the case existed. This is frequently tn
case.
Each physician should report withi
twonty-four hours the existence of a cas-
Of diphiheria attended by him. If no ply
sician is in attendance the duty of maxim
this report falls upon the person in charg
of the case. Persons and physicians re
porting should also state the school al
tended by the patient and by other chi