Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1912-09-20

NbhSi Important sections OF
the revised rules are those regulat-
ing the sanitation of camps and OF
common carriers.
Another important section is the
one relating to prevention of the
transmission Of disease through iu-
Ieeted articles of food and drink.
Another important new section is
one relating to public schools. The
state superintendent of public N
s,ruetion has had large edition of
these rules printed separately for
distribution among the school teach
ers of the state.
In the handling of contagious dis
eases many important fundamental
changes have been made, the most
striking one being the removal of
smallpox from the class of ouaran-
tined diseases and placing it in the
class or contagious diseases subject
TO isolation In other words, han
ding it In the same manner as meas
les is handled at the present time.
AT the same time permission is given
to the board of health of any county
or city to adopt rules of their own,
providing for the strict quarantine Of
smallpox If such boards see fit. The
attitude OF the state board of health
toward the handling Of smallpox IS
based upon the conviction, which is
growing throughout the United
States, that inasmuch as in vaccinA-
ton a reasonable preventive for this
disease is known that it is both UNI
scientific and poor economy to ex-
pend public money in the mainten-
ance of rigid quarantine These
rules do not by any means imply
that patient suffering from small
poX is free to go about at will. Any
such person, as long as isolation
measures are maintained by the
health officer, is just as liable to
prosecution for breaking the isola-
ton as heretofore for breaking qua
antine for smallpox, but it does mean
that other people on the same prem
ises are not to re restrained against
their will with the patient All
health officers are charged with urg-
ing upon all persons exposed the ad-
visibility of being yaccinated, an
also provision is made by which
those exposed shall be attended free
of charge by the health officials
when smallpox actually exists in a
community But beyond this meas
ure no restriction is placed upon tn
other inmates of the house contain
ing a small poX patient,
For the first time a discrimination
is made as to the degree of control
of different contagious diseases,
there being in one class the diseases
which are still maintained under the
strict quarantine, which have been
reduced to diptheria and scarlet
fever, with the exception of such dis
eases as the plague and Asiatic chol-
era, which it is to be hoped will not
be reported within this state at any
time in the future, and, second, the
class of diseases which are placed
under isolation measures-the fun
damental principles for the control
of this class of disease being based
upon prompt reports, the placing of
placards so as to warn the public,
ard isolating the sick patients from
other members of the household, but
not restraining other members from
going about their usual occupations.
The great majority of diseases have
now been placed in this class and it
is the opinion of many members of
the board that with the constantly
increasing knowledge as to the ma
ture of transmission of contagious
diseases that in a few years it will
be found that this rational and COM
mon sense method may prove all that
may be necessary for the proper con-
troll of scarlet fever and diphtheria,
| which diseases are known as mos,
typically malignant contagious dis
eases. The success of this style OF
handling contagious diseases rests
very largely upon the general public.
1t is practically conceded among all
sGnitariums at the present time that
the isolation of the sick patient is
the most effective method for the
prevention of contagious disease, and
that compared with this all other
methods sink into insignificance
The old style quarantine meant forei-
Bile, arbitrary isolation-an isolation
in which people concerned We're
given no choice whatever. The modi-
fled isolation is, in fact, dispensing
with the old idea of guards and the
treating of the premises as if it were
Jail, and instead an appeal to the
common sense and public spirit o.