The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-02-20
Prof. Ebert Russell Says
Scarlet Fever Is Not Be
ing Stamped Out Here.
ACTION is NEEDED
He Wants to Know What Ex-
cuse the Health Officer
Is Prepared to Offer.
BY PROF. ELBERT RUSSELL
of the Eariham Faculty..

Scarlet fever has been prevalent in
west Richmond for nearly year.
Since the sixteenth of last September,
cases have occurred in fifteen families
that send children to Baxter school
In this time there must have been
twenty-five or thirty separate cases in
this territory. and the disease contin-
ues to spread. An Investigation start
ed by patrons Of Baxter school reveals
the fact that the rules OF the State
Board of Health have not been COM
piled with or enforced. Rule of the
rules governing quarantine and exclus-
ion from schools reads: The mini
mum period of isolation and exclusion
from school in contagious diseases
shall be as follows:
Scarlet Fever-For the patient and
children in the family with the patient,
quarantine for not less than twenty
one (2D days after the beginning of
the disease: exclusion of the patient
and children associated with the
patient from school for ten (1o) days
after the removal of quarantine. Other
children may. at the discretion OF the
health officer having Jurisdiction. be
disinfected and removed to another
house. and shall there be isolated and
excluded from school for a period of
ten COY days and then released. pro-
vidsd they remain free from the
disease
For adults living In the family with
or exposed to the patient:-while the
house remains Guaranteed, unless
said adults submit to thorough disin-
fection OF the body and clothing and
do not come IN contact with the
patient"
Rule reads: when a case of con-
tagious disease is reported. 1T shall be
the duty Of the health officer having
attended by any children from the in
fectsd premises and to serve notice
upon those in charge Of such schools.
requiring that all persons from such
infected premises and to serve notice
upon those in charge OF such schools,
requiring that all persons from such
infected premises be excluded from
the school until a medical certifcate
or written permit from the health
ofncer be presented"
In very few cases has quarantine
been enforced over ten days and In
many cases only one week. Physic-
ians say that the health oficer will
not insist on the three weeks quaran-
tine and without his authority they are
powerless. The city health officer
says he will not undertake to enforce
the 81 days quarantine unless assured
OF the cooperation Of all the physicians
in the city. The city medical inspect
ors of schools and many of the prin-
cipals have not been supplied with
copies of the regulations OF the In
diana State Board of Health One of
the inspectors says he has repeatedly
asked the health oficer for copy but
IL unable to get II. The principal of
Baxter school says he has never been
notified of cases Of scarlet fever as
Rule 6 requires. Yesterday morning
a pupil from a house where there is
scarlet fever was excluded from Gar
field school only because private
persons reported the case. The prin-
ctpal of Baxter school makes the fol-
lowing signed certificate regarding ef-
forts TO enforce the rules which were
thwarted by the health oficer:
ITO Whom II May Concern
There have been two pupils sent to
the ONCE, which DR.. King pronounced
scarlet fever and ordered them sent
home. They secured certificates sign
ed by Doctor Davis and returned to
school the same day or the day after.
@. A. STEELY."
II is clear that the health depart
ment has made no determined effort
to stamp out the disease. The health
oficer may have some explanation to
make of his failure to enforce the
rules of the State Board of Health. but
IL win take a very good one to recon
cile MS to the expense of maintaining
city health department. which does
not do even what the laws require to
prevent our children being exposed to
so dread q disease as scarlet fever
and to the danger Of lifelong disabil-
tiles which even light cases of scarlet
fever are likely to cause.