The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-08-14

lV OIl.lL ]. ,, |
An Alarming Epidemic This.
Summer Among Infants
and Children.
|DEATH.sooN L0Ws ATTACK
IFNVliat#Thcy Eat Seems 70 Have
Little to ID With. the Disease,
and It's Cause 4 N[ystcry.
tByl ;Lueien Lof ton, A. -. PHI. D., NJ D.
Ex- President Seaboard Med. lAsso. Va.
and NJ. CD 8 .{; 81
ENfPoRlA, VA, August 13.-The great
mortality among babies ranging in age
from three months old to as many years
during the past two months Inns created
Unusual alarm among the medical fra
ternity In every section 4 the country,
| The high death rate has been due to q
most malignant form Of entero-chls It's,
which has pervaded nearly every city,
village and hamlet throughout the Union
Reports from the States Of New York
Maine, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Nebraskn q,
California. Texas. Georgia. North, and
South Carolina, bring tho sad t!dingsI q of,
lsthc deadly ravages Of this drend mnlady VI
not unlike many other South i,,.s
ern States, has been visited by this Pc
sculiar form a Of Intestine arrangement emf Mt
among the Infants and in some sections
1Sof the State the mortality has "a ras ed
around Is per cent n '3sl
One physician In ~ rgi MA, 4 reporting bis I
gexperiehce. declared lie believed Il he ID s-
ease, rs seen an d treated by hin, when len
once we'll under way, vas incurable. {; Al
n A specialist In tie lsea SEES. Of children
writing from a near BY city. claims the
unusual loss OF patients under his care
has not been due to lack 5of hospital or
other modern facillt ties, but may be at
Etributed 10 q dead y micro organism the
laisolation OF which Is yet to be determin-
ed by the scientist The disease so far has
made practically no headway Y I'M Adde'S
cents or adults, tloug llS a few IA tai ca ses
have been report ed \. @
DIET HAS LITTLE EFFECT, 5
SSs Food stuffs such as vegetablcs, fruits
and :edlbles OF like kind, seem to enter
Very little into the genesis Of the trouble,
though some prom inents physicians mem
lStioned from tile above stated positively
THAT they are causatlve factor In
the ailmcit. shrelyi& 4 lis not possible
for babies lin the cradle to secure any
such food and mothers as IL rule are g, =: 81
!tremely careful about their diet during
the hot months for fear OF q crea ting
some Intestinal disturbances in their.
young. III u IL 8
Then, again II the mother should freely
Indulge In a mixed and sso- called 4lndis y
erect diet and not uffer herself & 1t Is
reasonable to believe the offspring should
assume such Responsibilities. The latter.
lis certainly a comm on Use VI TAX q
\ 2of the mat ter, as hun dreds OF medicine
i experts wilStestify.B M IA
8a:5 Entero colitis Is an inflammatory$ affcc-i
luton Of the lower Intestinal tract and may
be a part or entire portion Of the smaller
tube to which It Is adj oined b. Usually
however. the big or lower Int estine Is tn f
! part involved In this disease
IA lust why this epidemic should come
on this year has SO far remained a CONF
plete mystery, unless some atmospheric
lsconditions cause 1T or It may 2be that
1.-the rank vegetation prevalent over the
country Is in part responsible; sor, again
LIT has been noted by al close Observers
THAT 81 files carry diseases m ore frcque n t-s
lElySin wet weather han In drouths.
Ssss3T The carth,s surface has been practt-5
5cally5 Ike wet sponge throug bout al
Large area OF the United States for the
Epast three months, and considering this
4 fact the death dealing germs Of all kinds
i are left upon the surface \ to proDa gate
i and TO be disseminated by ants, flies and,
in,osqultoes,3 who invariably seek dry
quarters during the rainy season. s ~
$tcr$and$ milk in wet wcat Their Is Tx ely to-
I l:c contaminated unless thoroughly steri-
4lized and even then should be used II
once for fear of reinfection. .s isl
45 FATAL DISEASE. n 4 ss
& This Years epidemic of ntestinal y In
lection among fnfants appears to pros
strate tho little sufferer within a. few
lthours and - t a physician is moi sum
Imoned ut once that diligcnt fort MAJ Y
Ebc made % stay the hand of death. q tho
fight gusunlly% ends In dismal fni lure us
may not gthe case iii every, II ms tanc
but mothers with young babies. cspeci !
liz should take no risk When once the
l}lnflnlnmatio ion becomes acute, very II tile
! hope can be Offered to the parents for
a sn fe recovery. "a peculiar feature 81 OF
this 1nnladysis that only one child among
! 1.-The family will be strlck en- al & g tirne.s
Though some have been observed where
1.-Two or{more were sick sllnnltaneo usly.
Yet, this is not The rule, Every child
THUS affected should be solated y q once
Ifnnd Kept 50 during Illness from al otll-s
ers or the household and VICINITY, except
ling one or Two nttcndants,S 2 'rhe; 10 ctofs
should DO obeyed to the letter, SO Fl far
as treatment goes. No stimuants of
any alcoholic nature should he used IN
LESS prescribed by The attending phys
clan, which should In every case DO
guardedly administered as more relapses
are due to this one cause than AL 9TH
lcrs, &I4ccollect you are not treat Ing a sim
ele condition, where BLACKBERRY. ~ hlr s
|6leberrys wine Of cordial Will su flee m In
ito doses OF stychnine, hot water DO -
ties and hot salt baths are Il the IDEAL 81
stimulants in this condition. AS 81 the
detailed treatment, any good, prafeI ltion ne
Il 111