Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1901-06-13
Contagious Diseases and Health Methods.

Contagious Diseases and Health Methods.
Mr.. EDITOR:
To the unthinking one, the recent out
| break of contagious diseases may be thought
to be more serious and more alarming than
those occurring generation or more ago,
therefore there is tendency to disregard
health laws and laws of common sense, but
statistics show that preventable diseases are
not as prevalent as they were in former
| times.
| Trusting to our own memories we are
often mistaken and the oldest inhabitant
is liable to get facts and figures slightly at
variance. The skeptic listening to these
will dispute statistics and the good of eradi-
cation is interfered with.
Each individual has a duty he owes to
himself, his family, his neighbor and to the.
community at large, which, when he neg
lects, he commits crime of greater magni-
tude than he realizes.
A man with shot gun is watched, but
he can do no more harm than an infected
person or article. In fact, he is less harmful.
Unless the trigger is pulled loaded gun
will do no harm even in a crowd, but in
lection waits for no trigger, it goes off at
will and no one knows until some elapse
of time that he is hit A gun does not al
ways kill, neither does infection, but the
consequences are much alike When man
shoots another he rarely escapes a criminal
or civil action at law. Does the law deal
similarly with the person that spreads in
lection? Has any death resulted from
shooting in Gloucester County lately? Even
if there had been, it would, nine times out
of ten, been due to proyocation but the in
nocent does not escape the rayages of infec-
ton, and has not infection killed a number?
If infection be allowed unrestrained liberty
we would soon have an invulnerable enemy
to meet; therefore, it is the duty Of physi-
cians sanitarians and layman, to work to-
gether in perfect and earnest harmony to
keep it in allegiance, and our demand should
be nothing short of an unconditional sur
render.
Sacrifices must be expected, warfare al
ways makes waste. The physician and
sanitarian would meet with less sacrifice if
the layman would do his part in the fight
Contagious diseases seem to move in
cycles, certain periods elapsing between
outbreaks.
Some diseases, like measles, occur about
every four or five years, attacking nearly
everybody unprotected by previous attack
to return again when new victims are born
to meet it, Measles is the most contagious
disease, but the germ is short lived, while
in most Of the other contagious diseases the
germ will apparently live forever, which
accounts for many unaccountable outbreaks
Articles of clothing, books, toys, etc. will
retain the germ, and some youngster with a
superfluous curiosity will unearth an other
wise latent, harmless viper and will him
self become ready victim and equal to
injecting the whole neighborhood.
Scarlet fever is an insidious disease, now
mild outbreak with but few light cases,
again general one with few fatalities, and
again it will swoop down like a cloud burst
and in its maddened fury will cause sud-
den and woeful devastation.
Diphtheria is one of the most dreaded,
yet it needs close contact to infect
Smallpox seems to return about once in
decade sometimes so slight and so few as
to pass notice, at other times it seems to
crop out in unexpected quarters and is an
unwelcome, loathsome disease.
How to get rid Of these pestilences has
been the study of sanitarians for some
years, laws have been passed, agents sent
out, officers elected and clothed with
authority, yet we are still infected and
horrors are depicted, alarm is created, cen
sure is laid, social relations strained, COM
munities devastated, families depleted,
hearts broken and grim death all the time
gathering in his victims.
New Jersey has as good sanitary laws as
any state, every city, borough and town
ship has its health board, and men should
not accept these positions unless they are
willing to do their duty, putting as little
hardship on the community as possible, yet
acting with firmness and decision. The law
requires every physician to report conta-
gious diseases within twelve hours, and if
no physician is in attendance, the house,
owner or householder is required to
do the same, and a heavy penalty
is placed for noncompliance. As soon
as the report is received the Board of
Health must take immediate steps to
quarantine, and with the aid of the attend
ing physician to isolate and allow no inter
course with anybody except physician and
attendant. The family is expected to OBJ
serve these rules, and where conditions ex-
list preventing thorough isolation, the whole
family is placed in quarantine and not per
mitted to leave the premises or have COM
munication with anyone. Quarantine may
seem a hardship, but where families are
thus made prisoners for the public safety,
proper support must be given by the city or
townships and their condition made COM
Portable with food and fuel.
In cases where wage earners are required
to be quarantined for the public safety, the
city or township is liable in lieu of other
support to pay for loss sustained
In cases Of death, no funeral is allowed
and the deceased is wrapped in sheet wet
with strong antiseptic solution and i'm
mediately placed in tight coffin and
buried as soon as practical. After death or
recovery, the room should be thoroughly
| fumigated under the direction of the Board
Of Health and usually at public expense.
All articles used in the room that can be
washed should be subjected to an hours
boil in some antiseptic solution and after
wards we'll aired and exposed to the direct
rays of the sun. The furniture and walls
should be washed in a strong antiseptic
solution and afterwards well aired. All
articles that cannot be treated in this man
ner must be destroyed by burning. The
city or township is liable for loss sustained,
the destruction to be under the direction of
the Board of Health.
| These precautions are valuable both for
subsequent safety of the inmates of the
house and to prevent the spread of the
disease.
Timely discovery of any disease, positive
means for its eradication, and willingness
on the part of the family afflicted will in a
great measure lessen the calamitous effect
that an epidemic has upon town or COM
munity.
HEALTH.