Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1907-12-12
Dangerous Evasion.

Whooping cough is again prevalent and
likely to become more SO through dis.
position on the part of good many peo-
pie to keep the health officer in as COM
plete ignorance as possible OF the real
number of cases and their location. They
manifest curious unwilliugness to have
that cheerful red quarantine sign tackled
onto their houses unless positively driven
to it, and seem to think they exhibit
rather superior cunning if they succeed in
sending their children to school every
day, whooping like band of little pa
pooses and scattering germs of contagion
broadcast.
The idea that health laws are enacted
for the public veal and that obedience
TO them is not matter of individual
preference, is either entirely uncompre-
hended or to be acknowledged only under
very strong pressure. Citizens, esteemed
law-abidiLg, who wouldn't pick your
pockets for the world, will, with the
utmost Indifference as to your choice in
their form of crime, give you measles,
mumps or diphtheria that you wouldn't
have, perhaps, at any price if you could
help it.
Because the Browns didn't report the
whooping cough in their family and sent
their children TO school while the disease
was raging, does not establish precedent
for the Greenes, who wouldn't feel inn
PEELED in other circumstances to commit
murder, arson or any high crime and
misdemeanor on the strength of the
Browns example.
This evasion of the plain duty of people
having contagious diseases in their fami-
lies to report them and submit to quaran-
tine regulations is not only selfish in the
extreme but it is dangerous trifiiDg
with law and order, liable in some cases
to result in loss of life. Every little sore
throat may not be diphtheria, but it is
just as well to retire bit from the world
at-large until the affection is certainly
known to be harmless. Isolated cases of
whooping cough and similar ailments do
not become epidemics.
The local health officer, DIR. A. G. Bail
ey, has instructed the teachers to report
every suspected case of whooping cough
and other contagious diseases in the
schools and to send home any child hav-
ing symptoms of such diseases.
The state law on the subject is explicit
and reads as follows:-stThe head of a
family in whose home there occurs a case
of infectious or contagious disease dan
gerous to the public health shall immedi-
dttlN give HOtlCt lHtTSoi W tnc iOthl
health officer of the town in which he
lives. A physician who knows or sus-
poets that person whom he has been /
called t. attend is sick, or has died, of /
disease dangerous to the 1
public health, shall Immediately quaran-
tine and report to the health officer the
place where such case exists and the
name, degree of virulence, cause and
source of the disease and such facts relat-
ing thereto as may be necessary for the
health officer to make examination and
act in the premises. Provided the at
tending physician at the time of his first
visit is unable to make a specific diagno-
sis, he may quarantine the premises tenn
porarily, or until specific iagnosis is
made, and post thereon a card with the
word quarantine plainly written or print
ed. Such quarantine shall continue in
force until the health officer examines
and guarantees as is provided in this act.
A head of family or physician who fails
to give reasonable notice to the health
officer of the existence of infectious dis
Ease shall be fined not more than $50 nor
less than $40, with costs OF prosecution"