Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-06-04
Wheepins Cough.

| According to the mortality statistics
compiled by the United States census
bureau in 1906, from registration
area comprising slightly less than one
haf OF the population of the United
States, there were 6.324 deaths from
whooping cough in that area In chill
dren under years Of age. The United
States public health reports show that
in 1910 the death rate per hundred
thousand was as follows: Whooping
cough, ia per cent; scarlet fever. lis
per cent; measles, 1913 per cent ana
diphtheria. Ella per cent.
Reports from thirty states show that
6.2o1 children died of whooping cough
1882 from scarlet fever and 1873 from
| diphtherta in these states during the
year 1911. The relative mortality from
whooping cough, scarlet fever and
i diphtheria is essentially the same
turnout the country, Whooping cough
being almost everywhere more fatal
! than scarlet fever and less fatal than
diphtheria. Whooping cough is an es-
! pecially serious disease in the southern
states, as is shown by the fact that in
North Carolina 736 children died of
whooping cough in 1911 against tota!
! of AT from scarlet fever. measles ana
/ dphtheria combined. The death rate
from whooping cough in North Caro-
lima in 1911 was 32.2 per cent against
/ ia per cent for the whole United
! States
/ Il hardly seems necessary TO give
iany more statistics to prove what Sc
rious and fatal disease whooping cough
/ is and to show that, instead OF being 4
I triing affair as il is usually consld"
cred to be by the laity. il Is condl
/ lion of the utmost gravity. Any dls-
ease which kills 10000 children per an
mum is" as Rucker says, g serious
one. If bubonic pla que were to Kill
that many children in the United
States in one year the Whole Worin
would quarantine against our country
| a child dead of whooping cough is just
as dead as child dead of plague.
| Ninety six per cent of the 6,S24
deaths reported from whooping cough
in the United States in 1905 were III
chill rem under years of age. FIFTY
seven per cent of the fatalities were
in the first year. 81 per cent IN the
second. s per cent in the third, per
cent in the fourth and % per cent IN
the fifth year.
What is being done IN this country
To limit the spread and diminish the
death rate from this dread disease
asks DR. John l.. Morse, of Boston. an
swering his own question by the dSse:
iln. Surprisingly little, u is 2 mott
Tia bic disease In Only twentN-n MN"
stats The health officers of many
Of these states say. moreover. that very
little attention is paid ny physicians TO
the law requiring notification Isolation
is required ny law in seven states an"
III 0d!ficd" isolation in two others. II
! is recommended in another. but the
secretary of the board Of health states
that it is rarely enforced. Few state
or city health boards make any EFFORT
to prevent ii, while there is almost no
provision for the hospital treatment or
whcoping cough in this country. For
the sake of the 10000 children annuaii%
sacrificed to this disease DR.. Morse
pleads that the seriousness of this dis =
/ ease be recognized and that its raVages
he restricted Whoopng cough should
ne made everywhere d reportable dis
ease as in the case Of smallpox, scarlet
feyer and dirhtheria The house should
+ be p,acarded and the inmates in :
struc-ed by the health authorities as
Ia the seriousness Of the disease In in
fancy and the methods TO be employed
! to prevent contagion.
! The patients should be separated
] from the other children In the family.
! if they are under years OF age, or
| the patients should be removed TO spe-
icial hospitals, constructed on the
shack" plan in order TO give the chill
dren the maximum amount of fresh
air.
! Children with catarrhal symptoms
( in whom there is any reason to suspect
! the possibility of whooping cough.
should be excluded from school. Ihe
community should be required TO es-
ia blish hospitals no, only to take care
of those children that can not or are
not properly isolated at home. but also
20 take care Of those babies and chill
dren i'll with the disease that can not
be property treated in their homes.
It can be confidently predicted tha'
when the physicians and the public
understand what whooping cough really
means. when proper regulations Tor
it's control are established and en-
forced and when sufficient hospital &C
Communications for its care are pro-
vided. whooping cough VIII cease 10
ne the scourge which it now is.