The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-04-03
WHAT DIsINFECTToN MEANS TO
YOU.
Protect Your Family From n House
of Death.


Are you going to move April 4?
Thousands of people in the various
communities throughout the State
will change their place of abode on
this day Are you one of these? If
so, did you give proper consideration
to the previous history of the new
homer OF course you asked the
landlord for a change in the wall
paper or wanted the kitchen floor
painted but did you ask whether the
previous occupants of the house had
suffered from contagious disease?
Did you insist on knowing whether
there had been a proper disinfection
of the premises in case there was
anything of this nature?
In every community in the Com
monwealth there are houses with
evil records and there are ever un-
suspecting victims who come to
make homes within their deadly
walls. No man would knowingly
put his loved ones in peril, yet how
many people inquire into the previous
history of a dwelling place before en-
gaging it. How many demand a
clean bill of health for it and insist
that proper precautions be taken to
insure it's habitability.
Within sight of the Capitol at
Harrisburg there stands a house that
has been responsible for the death
of eight people. The neighbors do
not point it out as they pass and
there is no tale of haunting spirits
connected with it, yet eight people,
father, mother, five sons and a
srandchild have been its victims.
"Consumption; inherited" said the
seighbors and friends of this unfort-
unate family Eyes, tuberculosis, "
said the experts of the State Depart
nent of Health, but not inherited,
transmitted owing to lack of proper
disinfection and sanitation"
Modern science has proved that
the deadly micro organisms common
" known as germs" thrive despite
all treatment except subjection to in
tense heat, chemical solutions direct
" applied or the gaseous fumes of
disinfectants properly handled.
There is a trained Health Officer
in every city, hamlet and township
in the state but too often household
ers fail to welcome these warriors for
health who come in their canvas
armor to wipe out the possibility of
subsequent infection of others fol-
lowing contagious and communica-
BILE disease.
The serious consequences which
may follow the failure to carry out
the regulations of the State Depart
ment of Health in regard to disin-
lection, is illustrated in letter of
complaint which was received by
DR.. Dixon. 1t charges that an officer
of a certain Borough Board of
Health failed to disinfect house
in which scarlet fever had occurred.
The letter is as follows:
DR.. Samuel G. Dixon,
Dear Sir:
Last February / moved here
among strangers, not knowing any
enc in town. | rented a house and
moved into it. After | had been in a
few days several people told me that
there had been scarlet fever in the
house, that a family of seven had
been down with it and the house was
not fumigated after they moved out
Ten days from the time / moved in
we all took the fever. My three
children and myself were all taken
10 the hospital. My baby died of the
fever, the rest of us were in the
hospital ten weeks and l was not
able to do anything the balance OF
the summer.
The expense was great but the
money was nothing to the loss of our
darling three-year-old girl who had
never been in bed a day in her life
before.