The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-12-12

Two of the most contagious dis
eases known to medical science are,
and have been, for over a year. epide-
mic in this city, while a third, ty-
phoid fever, quite as communicable and
highly fatal, is prevalent to an alarm
ing degree. These conditions not only
continue unabated, but the figures in
the office Of the secretary of the board
of health show they are growing worse
day by day. still nothing unusual is
being done in remedial way. except
that the board of health is exe"ting its
limited powers to the utmost, in an
endoavor to check the spread Of the
disease.
Health officer w. f.. Allen presents
the whole case pointedly in the fol-
lowing statement furnished The Trib-
une yesterday, by request:
All physicians are expected to report
to the board of health every case of
any contagious disease, which they
may find in their practice, as soon as
possible after the nature of the disease
is determined. On receipt of this notice,
the secretary of the board of health
reports the case to the superintendent
OF public instruction, and he is expected
to inform the principal of the school
attended by this patient, and all chill
dren of that family are prohibited from
attending school until they can present
a certificate from the physician in at
tendance, stating that the disease no
longer exists, and that the house has
been properly disinfected.
PUBLIC FUNERALS FORBIDDEN.
In the meantime, a placard, with the
name of the disease, is placed upon the
infected house, and the people are in
formed that all persons not employed
in caring for the sick must be kept out.
Public funerals are forbidden and pre-
vented as much as possible.
Owing to the large number of cases,
the sanitary officer has been hardly
able to get the paCards on all of the
houses and has not had time to attend
to any other duties. At the regular
meeting of the board of health in Mo-
vember it was decided to employ one
man to assist the sanitary officer. more
particularly to attend and prevent pub
lie funerals and disinfect all houses,
especially where there has been a death
and funeral This man was to be paid
from the emergency fund, which is in
tended for such purposes. He is not an
officer, but was employed in the same
way as men are at the Crematory, when
the regular force are unable to do the
work.
have not been able to find any par.
ticularly unsanitary place that could be
responsible for so much of this disease
and as sCarlatina and diphtheria are
particularly contagious diseases, anC
can invariably be traced to that cause
I am surely of the opinion that the
carelessness Of families, where the dis
ease exists, and Of the neighbors as
to h. al of hn
ment Of so many cases.
There is no denying the fact thai
some people delight in going into places
where there is serious Illness or any
thing shocking; and the placard on the
house seems to be looked upon as ar
invitation to come in, and they go IL
and make a protracted visit, and then
! go home to their own families satur-
| ated with the poison, or possibly they
| take a ride in a crowded street can
| first.
THEY KISS THE DEAD.
Little children are allowed to take &
| last look at the dead child, and very
| frequently are permitted to kiss tho
corpse Very many people persist II
having public funerals.
1t should be in the power OF the board
OF health to put stop to all or TINS
| but in a city of one hundred thousand
| a thing, with only one sanitary officer
| is impossible. There should be at leas
| one regularly appointed sanitary police
man for each of the four districts OF
the city, clothed with the necessary
authority. There is no reason why
these diseases should not be checked, II
| the rules of the board of health could
| be enforced. 1t is gratifying to know
that the mortality has been remark
| a hlN- ciX cent.
This last comment of DR.. Allen is II
| meaningful thing, when it is read with
| the mind fixed on the fact that a sore
| throat, with the slightest trace of
pseudo membrane, is sometimes liable
| to be exaggerated into diphtheria by
| a physician who might want to make
| record. DR.. Allen, however, de-
| clined to discuss this matter.
A few figures are sufficient to show
| how futile it is for the board of health
to attempt to cope with the epldemics
| with the limited means at its COM
| mand.
In 1898 there were 50 cases of diph-
liberia reported during the whole
twelve months, an average of seven a
| month. Since October /, 1898, tC
and including yesterday, not quite fif'
| teen months, the number of cases re-
| ported was 1,006, or an average of 70 a
month. One sanitary officer was eX-
| pected to placard the houses in which
these diseases prevailed, be on hand
to prevent the public from attending
the 102 funerals which resulted, and
disnfect the houses after the disease
had been wiped out by death or cure.
CASES OF FEVER
This has reference to diphtheria
alone. So far this year there have
been 24 cases of scarlet fever with
% deaths and Az cases of typhoid fcvel
with "a deaths, to say nothing of the
other communicable diseases which
have likewise to be attended to, sucl
as measles, membraneous Group, diph
theratic Group, and the like. In ad
dtion to all this the one sanitary Off
Ger must needs look after and abatt
the nuisances daily complained of an.
keep an eye on the scavengers.
For those who may wish to go int
a statistical study of the matter tn
following figures and comparisons ar
presented. They show the record o
the diseases mentioned. cases reported
and deaths resulting for the past eigh