The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1915-06-02
Sidelights on the Scarlet Fever
Epidemic.
Communication
Editor Standard:

Editor Standard.
A few months ago some of our
physicians were engaged in a wordy
war over the spread of scarlet fever
in the community, and charging one
another with the blame, and / have
frequently heard il said that the
doctors were eonniving at the
spread of the dread epidemic in the
interest of their practice; but be
these things as they may, 1t is quite
evident that the doctors should not
bear all the blame. | have heard of
one case where a woman was keep
ing a little girl whose mother was
dead, and the child was taken sick
with a disease that the woman sus-
pected might be scarlet fever but
there were no cases at the time, and
no physician was called. Shortly
after this there were two or three
pronounced cases in the community.
At another time | was at some dis
tance from and talking to woman
who was under quarantine with her
daughter who had scarlet fever.
When another woman, a friend of
the quarantined one, came up and
approached the other with the evi-
dent intention of saluting when the
quarantined woman said Don't
come near me; I'm under quaran-
tine" The other said 81 don't care
il you are," and went up and EN-
braced and kissed her. This woman
had several small children of her
own, and she and they were ming
ling with other people all the time.
A few weeks ago a young lady
told me that about three weeks prev
iously she had gone right into a
house where there was one or more
cases suspected by the parents to
be scarlet fever, but there was no
notice up, and no physician had been
called | Immediately called up the
health officer. and asked if he knew
any thing of the matter, and he said
he did not, but would investigate it
at once, which he did, but said he
found no symptoms of the disease
at the time, although admitting
that they might have had it three
weeks previously and all traces have
disappeared at the time he made the
investigation. Another instance
call to mind, where a child had the
fever, and the family were quaran-
tined, and the father was supposed
to be staying in an out building, as
he was working away from home
during the day, but one evening his
telephone rang, and neighbor mis-
taking the ring for his own, took
down the receiver, when he reeog-
nized the voice of the man supposed
to be staying in an out building, and
he was in the house with the quar-.
antined family, and then going out
among unquarantined people every
day.
A few months ago our daughter
had q very light attack of scarlet
fever, and my family was under
quarantine for four weeks, during
which | was An exile from home,
but we endured it as patiently az
possible in the interest of the public
welfare, and it seems to me that an!
one who will try to hide or cover VI
a case of this kind, or who will de
/ liberately expose themselves OF
others to the disease, unless it b'
necessary in the caring for or nurs
/ ing of others, should be considered
an enemy of society and seyerel.
punished.
Wherever the responsibility rests
il certainly is an outrage on the com
munity that such an epidemic SHOULD
be allowed to continue as long a
the present one has, with its unhap
py and fatal results.
C. T. PELTON.