Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-03-14


Next in importance and gravity Is
the complication of ile-ocoltis bowel
trouble!" this complication coming on
more frequently at the time Of the sea-
sonable distribution Of this disease.
Membraneous laryngitis Is a more
frequent complication in measles than
Is generally supposed, and as a cause
Of death in older children 1t ranks next
to pneumonia. 1t may be due to the
diphtheria bacullus or to streptocuc-
Gus Inflammation. Parents should al
ways keep this in mind, and when
croupy conditions arise in measles. a
physician should be summoned.
In addition to these dangerous COM
plications there are many others of a
more or less serious nature to be
avoided; such as a disturbance Of the
digestive systematic nervous system
with the possibility of brain complica-
tions; the ears, with suppuration ana
impairment Of hearing, and the eyes
which are frequently affected.
Aside from these complications.
there are ultimate reasons of an at
tack of measles which may not be
evident for some time. 1t is a well
known fact that the effects of measles
upon the respiratory system furnishes
a most suitable soil for the growth
and development Of the tuberculosis
germ, and that tuberculosis Is fire.
quently one Of the ultimate fruits Of
the disease.
With these facts before us 1t would
certainly seem that no one has a right
to regard the disease as one Of little
Importance, and that there Is no JUS
tiflcation in our present attitude Of al
most entirely ignoring its prevention.
Treatment.
AS measles Is in many instances
treated by the laity, we feel that 1t Is
not out of place here to say a few
words in this connection. 1t is not
within our province to say what should
be done but rather to emphasize what
should not be done.
The popular conception as to the
MANAGEMENT Of measles would seem
to be that the patient should be swell
tered with heay wraps and coverings,
given hot teas, and kept in a dark. hot
room with little or no ventilation. Such
practices can not be too vigorously
condemned, for we know measles in It
self renders the patient a very suscept-
ible subject to broncho- pneumonia,
and to add to 1t the practices just
mentioned materially increases the
possibility of this complication. The
room should be darkened, but this
should not be accomplished in such a
way as to interfere with thorough ven-
tilation. The temperature Of the room
should not be higher than for any 9TH
er illness, and the coverings and wraps
for the patient should be for comfort
and not to sweat them. Over orowding
the room should always be avoided.
Prevention.
Until the general public Is inform
ed as to the Importance Of this dis
ease as a life destroyer, its prevention
will remain difficult. Two things are
necessary to prevent the disease
spreading. First, It must be recog-
nized early. Second, it must be
promptly isolated and kept isolated
until the period Of contagion Is past.
AS regards the early recognition Of
the disease, If parents will remember
the early symptoms and the period Of
incubation, which is, on an average IL
to IA days, and will keep track of the
time, If their children have been ex-
posed, they will have little difficulty in
knowing when the disease first makes
it's appearance The patient then
should be Immediately Isolated and
kept so for a period Of three weeks.
The disease being spread by the pa
tient and not by clothing, articles Of
furniture, etc., there Is not required
the thorough cleaning and disinfection
which are necessary to prevent the
spread of scarlet fever or diphtheria-
When the case Is dismissed the room
should be thoroughly cleansed and air.
ed before 1t Is reoccupied. Children
who have not had the disease should
not be permitted to attend school while
81, to In Qi fhaV
may develop the disease at any time
and spread 1t during the early stage Of
invasion.
Whoopins Cough.
Whooping cough, while differing to-
tally from measles from the stand
point of symptoms, bears quite a strik-
ing analogy in many respects. Like
measles, it Is highly contagious and
but few persons who have not had the
disease escape when exposed to 1t.
Although 1t may affect persons Of any
age, it is generally a disease of child
hood, and records show that fully one
half the cases occur during the first
two years of life. Young nursing in
fants seem more susceptible to whoop-
ing cough than measles. The most
striking features Of the two diseases
are the complications they bring about.
and in whooping cough as in measles
the one danger signal always up Is
that Of broncho-p pneumonia.
Cause.
The true cause of whooping cough
is not known. We believe 1t to be due
to a specific germ, but whether or not
this is the case has not yet been fully
determined. Whatever the cause may
be, we know that 1t Is easily commu-
nicated from the sick to the well, and
as is the case in measles, close prox-
unity Is not necessary for its trans
mission.
Contagiousness.
Whooping cough Is the most conta-
gious Of all diseases. Records show
that 95 per cent of those exposed who
have not had the disease contract 1t.
1t Is readily transmitted in the open
air and Is frequently contracted by
children coming in contact with it up
on the streets or when out at play.
The disease Is spread by direct con-
tagion, that Is, a susceptible person
must be exposed to the disease before
It Is contracted. 1t is not communicat-
ed by clothing, articles of furniture,
ETC., nor by an intermediate person.
At what distance the disease may be
contracted, we cannot say, Dut III
stances are on record where children
have contracted it after passing on the
street other children suffering with the
disease.
Period of Contagion.
Whooping cough Is contagious from
the very beginning of the catarrhal
stage until the spasmOdic (whooping)
stage Is over. This is usually placed
at six weeks, but varies with the Sc
verify of the disease. 1t is more con-
tagious during the first ten days or
two weeks of its course than at any
other time, but may be communicated
as long as the patient whoops
Symptoms.
The symptoms Of whooping cough
are divided into three stages-the ca
tarrhal, the spasmodic (whooping) and
the stage Of decline. The two latter
are so we'll known that they need not
be mentioned here. From the stand
point of prevention the catarrhal stage
Is the one that concerns us most, for 1t
Is the stage during which the disease
Is most contagious, and the stage In
which we, as a rule, have no definite
symptoms, which enable us to distin-
guish the disease from a bronchitis.
While some children whoop almost
from the beginning, others may cough