The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-12-13
EXTRA MEASURES
AGAINST DISEASE
School Principals Directed to
Use Vigilance in Preventing
Spread of Contagion.
ALARM AMONG PARENTS
NO WARRANT FOR CLOSING THE
ooUIRRH, SAYS CHRISTENSEN.

No little concern has been felt by re
sidents in the district contiguous to the
Oqui-rh school $50 South Fourth East
street. on account Of alarming rumors
that have been spread 10 the effect that
an epidemic % scarlet fever prevails.
Some persons have voiced demand
that the school be closed because of
the fact that four children in the fam
ily OF Solomon Nelson were fatally
stricken with the disease.
The school is not going to be closed,
according To ID. II. Christensen, city
superintendent. because, says Mr..
Christensen. the disease IS sporadic
and in no wise epidemic. Aside from
the cases in the Nelson home." said
Mr.. Christensen yesterday. I know of
only two or three other cases. Today
the building viii be thoroughly fumi-
gated. There is no occasion for alarm
and there is absolutely no necessity foT
closing the school"
Comes Near to Home.
Sickness among school children al
ways comes near to home. Parents be-
come frightened or at least anxious,
at the first suggestion of the appear
ance of a contagious disease; its re-
crudesence not infrequently occasions
o condition bordering on a state of
panic Thus il is that last week. one
day mother reported TO the office of
The Herald that there was an ''epi-
demic" of diphtheria at the Lafayette
school: that the board of health was
blind to il, and that there was grave
danger of an immediate spread of the
malady. The truth of the matter is
that the incident at the lafayette
school arose IN this manner: A pupil
became i'll at his home of diphtheria.
The attending physician failed to re-
port the case TO the health department
on the day when he should have done
So The following day word came to
the school authorities in the forenoon
of the existence of the diphtheria case.
The school authorities notified the
health board and immediate steps were
taken to isolate the patient. In the aft
ernoon of that day the doctor who at
tended the case notified the board that
he had such patient. 1t was the ok}y
case thus far developed, but the Incl
dent was magnified many fold, even
20 the length of creating great fear
among those who were concerned about
the school population of the district.
Doctors Are to Blame.
1t is a fact. daily proved, that doc
tors who have patients suffering from
diseases of a contagious character do
not report them to the authorities. The
result is that the patient is neither iso-
lated nor the house or premises quar-
antined for period of at least twen-
ty-four hours following the appearance
of the disease. Meanwhile neighbors
overlooking with sympathy come in
and carry away with them the conta-
gion. 1t is in this way that smallpox
is spread, and other diseases.
Doctors agree that the only way to
suppress contagion is to isolate the
cases, but they themselves are the first
TO ignore this rule. The health au-
thorities are constantly pounding on
the back" the physicians, but their ef-
forts meet with only Indifferent sue
cess.
Until recently the city health office
kept such hours that it was ever a
guess whether or not one would get re-
Spouse If a call were made. Within the
last week the board has made new Of
fee rules There viii be a clerk in at
tendance each day until o'clock I'm the
evening, and there will be telephone
service on Sunday. So that instead of
waiting until the next day to report.
physicians may-and are urged so to
io-notify the department at the ear
lest possible moment.
Spread of Smallpox.
Salt Lake finished up the week with
twenty new cases of smallpox on
the list. Prior to Friday night, when
the official record closed. there had
been twenty-fOur cases of his disease
reported. Yesterday five additional
cases were reported. Some of these
cases-many of them. it is said-were
not reported until days had elapsed
and the contagion spread.
Manifestly. says the health board. IL
Is impossible TO suppress or eradicate
disease when IL is not known where the
disease exists.
In addition 10 the classified diseases
covered by ordinances, the board of
health has asked the board of educa-
ton TO assist in the suppression of
humps and chickenpox. To that end
the board sent to the trustees a COM
municatiOn embOdying its wishes in
the matter. This letter was turned
over 10 Superintendent Christensen.
who, in turn. referred it toe various
principals with his recommendation.
The letter of the health board follows:
To the Principal: Your most care
full attention is invited to the following
letter.