The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1910-12-08
WOULD PREVENT EP|OEMICs
Urges That Teachers Have Working
Knowledge Of the Contagious Dis
eases in Order to be Able to Detect
Them in Early Stages.

soon after the, beginning of school, a
marked increase in contagious diseases
is reported. Parents themselves are
aware of this and many look forward
to the opening of school with no little
anxiety, in some cases indeed going so
far as to send their children to private
schools on this account.
The cause Of this condition is easily
explained and the remedy needs only to
be rigidly applied, together with the
correction Of manifest unsanitary con-
ditions in our school rooms, to prevent
this annual recurrence of increased
spread Of contagious diseases.
Throughout the summer especially,
but also at all times, there is no doubt
but that mild cases of diphtheria, meas
les, scarlet fever, etc., exist which re-
ceive no medical attention throughout
the entire course of the disease. These
cases in many instances attend school
before the spreading of the disease is
past. As a result, they are the limo
cent carriers of whatever disease they
have, to other children.
Again, many parents are exceeding
ly careless regarding the health of their
children and overlook practically every
thing except attended by such severe
symptoms as to cause alarm. 1t is the
exceptional parent that isolates every
case Of sore throat in his family until
satisfied it is not diphtheria, while it is
the usual custom to regard every throat
affection as OF no consequence until
marked evidence of severe illness comes
on For this very reason mild case
of diphtherias may 60 absolutely unquar-
antined and practically untreated
throughout its entire course, all the
while spreading the contagion. The
same is also true Of smallpox, scarlet
fever, chickenpox, and measles. What
ever measures are necessary to prevent
the spread of contagious diseases in the
schools must be stringent enough to
reach the most careless or ignorant par
emit Of the school. Ii careful parents
but realized this, they would certainly
offer no objections to any reasonable
method employed by health officials to
ensure, as far as possible, the same SUI
pervision for their children at school
as they themselves exercise at home.
\ 1t is not only from the disease it.
self, but in many cases, no doubt, from
books or clothing infected from some
contagious disease, and laid away with
out proper disinfection that contagion
is spread, these articles being brought
out at the beginning of the school year.
The means to check this spread must
evidently be directed toward an early
detection of the disease. OF necessity
great deal of this devolves upon the
teacher, who should make medical in
spection Of his pupils daily routine
habit. No child who presents any of
the evidences Of an acute illness should
be allowed to remain in school, but
should be sent home and allowed to re-
turn only on the certificate Of the health
officer, or as is the custom in some
parts. of the attending physician. The
other children of the family should be
likewise kept out until the disease,
whatever it's nature, is thoroughly
eradicated.
The teacher should have working
knowledge of the, various contagious
diseases and act promptly in all sus-
picious cases. No rash should be over
looked. No peeling Of the skin, espec-
tally of the palms, should be regarded
by the teacher as just a simple skin
disease. A feverish child, with cough
nasal discharge, and red, infamed eyes
had better be regarded as a possible
case of measles than as having a simple
cold. A child not well, and with Just
a little sore throat, is just as apt, and
in many cases more apt, to have diph-
liberia than one whose throat is intense
" sore, swollen and painful.
Skilled medical inspection, frequently
carried out, is undoubtedly the ideal
plan, provided these medical inspections
are made with the assistance of the
teacher in charge. In this way the
teacher is given a practical demonstra-
ton in determining those diseases
which, if supplemented by little adj
ditional theoretical work, would pro-
duce in short while, marked skill on
the part of the teacher.
The early detection and proper isola-
ton of severe case of any contagious
disease, together with disinfection Of
the school effects belonging to the child,
might prevent an epidemic in the school
and if every case could be so detected,
infectious diseases would practically
disappear from the school and be linn
tied, as they should be, to the family.
Besides the detection of contagious
diseases, competent inspection is pro-
ductive of great good in other ways.
Most frequently parents do not realize
THAT enlarged tonsilg and adanoIds can