Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-20
HOME IS NOW FREE
OF D|PHTHER|A CASES
Epidemic Successfully Com
bated and Patinets Re-
leased From Quarantine.

The epidemic OF diphtheria which oc-
Cured recently in the Washington Home
for Foundlings has been successfully COM
batted, and the home Is now free of the
disease, and all OF the patients. both chill
dren and nurses. are we'll and out OF
quarantine except one nurse, who is still
in charge of the health department In
another institution. Her release from
quarantine is expected daily There were
no fatalities.
Dr. H. H. DonnaIiy, the attending
physician. in a report to DR.. z. T. Sewers.
president Of the board OF directors OF
the home, made public today. says:
May, 1911. one OF the larger children.
aged two years and three months. was
discovered to have q slight fever. and
upon examination presented the symp-
toms of a mild attack OF tonsilitis. he
was at once separated from the other
children and placed in a room by him.
SELF The next day a culture from his
throat was taken. which disclosed the
trouble to be diphtheria. and he WAS
promptly removed from the home by the
health department.
Nurse First Had Disease.
and nurses who had been in contact with
him a nurse at work in his ward was
discovered who had a well marked case
of diphtheria- Hers was probably the
first case in the home. as she admitted
that her throat had been sore for ten
days Neither the head nurse nor myself
knew that her throat was sore until IT
was discovered as described. She was al
once removed from the home by the
health department.
None of the other children or nurse:
showed any signs of sore throat or diph-
iberia Cultures from nose or throat were
daily and repeatedly taken. systemau-
cally, from every one in the institution,
including the colored help. about sixty
persons in all, and those found to be
harboring the germs were isolated from
the WELL
More cases were found each day by
means of the culture tube and micro
scope. until the fourth day. when all witt
diphtheria germs had been separated from
those who were free. By this time, leav-
ing out of account the child and the
nurse removed from the home. there were
twenty-one children, three nurses and a
laundress who had the bacilli, but none
of whom presented any symptoms OF the
disease. because the bacilh had not been
present in their noses or threats a sufh-
cient time for the disease to develop.
Development Soon Arrested.
None Of these children had any other
symptoms Of diphtheria, the development,
of which was arrested at its incipiency
and are all well now, and released from
quarantine.
The nurses are all well and out of
quarantine but one, who is as Yet un
der the control OF the health depart
ment in another institution, from
which her discharge is daily expected.
ITO recapitulate. two cases were dis
covered almost simultaneously a little
over two weeks ago, and at once re-
moved from the home. Twenty-Five
other cases were then ascertained to
have become infected. The original
case seems to have been the nurse who
failed to report her sore throat. There
have been no fatalities.
THE health department Is to be COM
mended for its highly efficient service.
Besides your own assistance. two other
members Of the medical staff. Drs.
Wall and Tayler-Jones. have aided in
the work of suppressng this invasion
Of diptheria. and the head nurse. Miss
Rinker. and all assisting her have la
bored hard and faithfully"