The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-01-30
City Health Officer Spalding
Would Quarantine Whoop-
ing Cough and Measles
DISEASE MAKES GREAT CAIN
Health Officer Declares Epidemic of
Whoopin9 Cough Is More To Be
Feared Than Small Pox at
This Time of Year
(From Fridays DailY.l

(From Fridays Daily.)
Health Officer DR.. J. B. opalding
this morning sent a communication to
the State Board of Health asking that
the local health department be en-
powered to take some steps to prevent
the further spread of whooplng cough
and measles in Kenosha. Both dis
eases are now epidemic in the city
and two deaths from whooping cough
were reported to the Board of Health
on Thursday.
DR.. Spaldlng in speaking of the mat
ter this morning said "The whooping
cough is of most virulent type and so
far as [ am concerned [ think that it
is more to be dreaded than small pox
and [ am in hopes that the State Board
will see the way clear to empower the
local board to take steps to stop the
spread Of the disease Under the
present state law the Health depart
ment has no powers to demand strict
quarantine in cases of measles and
whooping cough and on account Of the
lack Of this quarantine the diseases are
both spreading with an alarming rap
ldity There is no way to estimate the
number Of cases as the physicians
make no report of the whooping cough
to this department but the entire city
is honeycombed with it and unless
something is done to~e prevent the
spread I am fearful that it will be
bad winter and spring for the child
rem in Kenosha. We are having a
great deal of trouble in inforcing
guarantees. There was family
quarantined for diphtheria in one of the
most populous portions Of the city and
found yesterday that the children
from the household were running about
the street. The head of the family
was at once notified that the children
must be kept in the house and if neces-
sary [ will have an officer stationed at
! the house to enforce the quarantine
This lack of interest in the prevention
Of disease is largely among the foreign
residents of the city who fail to ap-
preciate the danger of these diseases.
[ believe that it is largely through the
ignorance Of these classes that various
diseases get hold in Kenosha
DR.. Spal0ing insists that the parents
of children affected with whooping
cough should take the greatest care to
protect them at this time on account Of
the fact that the conditions were Just
right for the development Of the di-
sease in a virulent form and it is on ac-
count Of these conditions that the local
Health Board is appealing to the State
Board for permission to take more
stringent means to stop the advance of
the disease
1t is possible that some action will be
asked from the Board of Education as
it is thought that the spread of both
diseases is largely due to the fact that
the children attending school are
whooping.
At Zion City there are more than
!d uundred cases or measles and 1t is
thought that this disease is being
brought to Kenosha from Zion. The
schools there were closed down several
days ago to prevent the further spread
of the measles and the Health officers
Of the town are maintaining a quaran-
tine over the patients.
DR.. Spalding states that he has not
taken up the matter of small box as
yet and that so far as he can learn but
seven cases have been reported in Chi
cago and none of these cases has been
discovered among the men who are liza
able to come to this county to work in
the ice fields. He gave assurance that
should there be any reason to demand
protection for the people of the city a
rigid quarantine against the ice work
ers would be established and maintain
ed.