The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1898-08-02
VACCINATE!
VACCINATEI
UArCTNATEI
VACCINATEI

the State--Dissemination Feared
One Knows Where it Will Appear
Next--Every Community Should be
Prepared.
Correspondence of the Progressive Farmer.
To the Public: While the instructions
for quarantine and d~isinfection issued
by the Board several years ago in COM
pliance with the requirements Of Sec
ton 9 Of the Act in Relation to the
Board of Health really embody all that
is necessary, it faithfully carried out,
for the restriction of contagious dis
eases, it is thought advisable in view OF
tina prevalence Of smallpox in one Sec
ton of the State, and the strong prob
ability of it's spreading, to Issue fuller
and more specific directions as to the
management of that particular disease.
In order to be perfectly plain it may
be necessary to be somewhat elemen
tary and the well informed health eff
Ger must not consider what is said as a
affection upon his intelligence and
knowledge. 1t should be remembered
that this is merely a supplement to the
Instructions and the two must be
read together.
We will consider the subject in it's
relation 1, to the patient; 2. to the
physician; 3. to the general public;
4, to the municipality, and finally, 5,
TO vaccination.
!. The Patient .-OWing to the ten
dency in human nature to put away
disagreeable things it seems that in
many cases the attending physician is
loath to admit that the case is one Of
smallpox and calls it c~hickenpCx urti
caria and even pemphigus, while the
peopIs in one locality at least, demon
mate it elephant Itch" When a mis-
take is made in the diagnosis or until
it is correctly made, no precautions
are taken, as e rule, and free inter
course with the patient being allowed,
the infection is spread. The diagnosis
is not difficult, but as no chances should
be taken, the oviously proper thing to
do whenever there is any doubt about
it is to manage the CASE as if it were
smallpox. When smallpox is prevail
ing every one with an eruption who a
few days before its appearance had
headache, pain in the back and fever,
should be strictly quarantined until
time has settled the gus stIon. Above
all things the patient should be prop
erly cared for. This is not a superau-
GUS suggestion-as it ought to be-for
it occasionally happens that the cry of
smallpox produces such an acute and
general pauic that the poor sufferer is
more or less neglected, for awhile at
least. There is no excuse for this, as
thoroughly vaccinated persons can
handle such cases with as little danger
as they could measles.
2. The Physician. The greatest care
should be taken by the physicians to
avoid carrying the infection to others.
He should have a special suit Of clothes
during the warm weather Of some ma
terial that will wash-or better, per
haps, a long gown of linen n cotton,
buttoning close around the neck above
the collar and tightly around the
wrists, to be worn over his ordinary
clothes, with a cap of paper or oiled
silk completely covering his hair,
while his feet are protected by rubber
| shoes. The garments should be dOnned
in an unaffected room, OF III Of doors
if there is no room, and removed upon
returning to the same from the room
| of the patient. II the disease is pres
ent in only one house, the special suit
| can De left there, but not in the room
with the patient. II, however, there
be cases in other houses to be seen, ii
| can be rolled w and carried 10 q close
fitting hand bag. To make assurances
| doubly cure it would be we'll after the
rounds for the day have been made to
hang it up in a box or closet or war,
drobe in an unoccupied room and dis
infect it with one of Soldering &
| G AIS small formaldehyde lamps. Be
fore going to bed hang it out OF the
window to remove the formaldehyde
odor. Do not forget to disinfecE the
hand bag also, if is used. Before
leaving the premises the hands and
face (oeard particularly should be
washed with some reliable antiseptiC
-bichloride of mercury, 1 to 2 900, OF
2 per cent. solution of carbolic acid,
for example.
8 The General Public. The people
should bear in mind the fact that there
is no reason whatever for becoming
panic stricken at the announcement
of smallpox in their community-by