Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-12-06
CRIMINALLY LIABLE.
PERSONS coNcEALlNe coNrA.
eloUs DISEASES RESPONSIBLE
FOR POSSIBLE DEATHS.
A Criminal Offence to Conceal Case
of Contagious Disease-Law Pro.
vides for Prosecution and for Pun
ishment-How Diseases Spread.

From Saturdays Daily.
Declaring that people who concea
to prosecution and severe pun
ishment but are criminally liable
for the deaths that occur az
a result Of their carelessness
one of Ottumwa's prominent physi
clans charges that there are families
in Ottumwa guilty and states that the.
Should be punished to the full extern,
of the law. "It is only by making ex
amples of few of those criminally Ii
able thte we can stop these prevent
able Diseases" continues this author
ity.
These statements form part Of ar
article prepared for the sanitary col
umn Of the Courier upon the manner
in which contagious diseases are dis
seminated and communicated from
one person to another. The article is
free from technical terms and contains
simple statements of the facts that
can not help but prove valuable to ev
cry reader.
The article is as follows:
when we, get the people to under
stand that they are not only laying
themselves liable to prosecution and
severe punishment for eoncealing con
tagious diseases from the authorities
but that they are also criminally liable
for the deaths that occur as a result
Of their carelessness we will be able to
prevent such trouble as we have just
passed through.
Several Families Are Guilty.
81 would suggest to the board of
health that there are several families
In town who are guilty under this
charge and that they should be pun
iished to the full extent of the law. It
1t only by making examples of a few
of these criminally careless people
that we can stop these preventable dis
cases.
ut is we'll known fact that if the
people would comply with our COM
prehensive health regulations, conta.
gious disease would soon be banished
from our city and state. Before this
is done all the people must learn to
observe the laws. If they will not OBJ
serve quarantine regulations and If
they persist in concealing contagious
diseases the authorities must prose
cute them as vigorously as they do
other criminals.
Are Due to Germs.
..tIt Is we'll known fact that the
contagious diseases are due to germs
that are taken into the system These
germs emanate from the body of some
ether person that has the disease
Germs enter the system in various
ways, many of them through the air
we breathe. Notably is this true with
,Giphtheria. scarlet fever, measles and
tuberculosis.
Diphtheria is usually confined to the
throat so that the breath, sputum and
the discharge from the throat are all
laden with the germs and the air
thereby becomes loaded with these
dangerous little organisms, which are
inhaled by any one coming into the
room or near the sick person. If sus-
ceptible to the disease this person
soon develops the usual symptoms of
the disease.
Scarlet Fever Epidemic.
Consumption or tuberculosis is dis
scminated in the same way. The in
fictitious nature of scarlet fever is in
the breath and sputum but is much
more prevalent in the skin that pulls
off after the attack. 1t is in this lat
ter that our late epidemic of scarlet
fever occurred The disease is fire.
auently SO light that it is not recog-
nized, but the skin that pulls off the
child with a light case is just as in
fectious as from a severe case.
Last summer a number of these
cases occurred in town, mostly in
certain strip Of the city. The cases
were not recognized or if recognized,
were concealed from the health Off
GERS. The children were allowed to
90 about town while peeling off, thus
scattering the germ laden scales of
skin all over our town.
Some Health Rules.
Ten rules for the prevention of dis
ease and the guarding of the health
written in plain simple and practical
manner and dealing with the most
practical things in every day life have
been prepared for the readers by an
other of Ottumwa physicians This
article which is especially worthy a
careful and thoughtful reading is as
follows:
A few words from prophylactic
point of view With reference to the
prevention of disease in the home are
never out of place even to those who
81 thoroughly conversant with the
subject
1t is true that people who live in
stone houses. and on paved streets
with sanitary conditions good are far
less liable to disease than those in the
humber ranks of life.
OF course. it is impossible for us
ell to live in modern homes. and have
eli the best hygienic surroundings but
ii is within easy reach of all to i'm
prove our environment and especially
cur eating, living and sleeping quar-
tiers.
Put Things in Orderly Shape.
Let any man clean up his alley and
begin to arrange things in his back
yard, then let the wife put things in
orderly shape within the home and
notice how quickly things take on a
different air. The Indifferent may say
those things and the ones herein men