Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1917-06-07

1T is only the measles. You may
just as well let Billy Boy have them
now as any time and get il over,
said Mrs. Wheeler as she smiled at
Helen's alarm.
only the measles. How can you
be so complacent when so many chill
dren suffer all their lives from weak
eyes, bad throats, and all sorts of
miseries as result of measles eX-
claimed Helen. who was readily in
dignant because she had so nearly
taken Billy Boy into infection.
"All my children had whooping
cough, measles. mumps and chicken
poX before they were ten years old
and it did not harm any of them eN-
cept Jim. The docsor says his weak
heart comes from a strain when he
had whooping cough, but il never &C.
Cured to me that one could be kept
away from these childrens' diseases -
That is just the trouble. We call
them children's diseases and many
people think they are harmless be
cause they do not kill right away, but
statistics say that they are source OF
endless trouble in later life. l wish
the board of health would quarantine
for every one of them"
Would you like to be guaranteed
just because your baby had the
measles?"
Yes. if it would keep some other
| baby from having them could
never forgive myself if some child
were deaf or blind through my care
lessness in spreading the disease
Look at Jamie Smith. He was fine
| baby. they say, but now he is par.
TALLY deaf, has weak eyes and bad
cough. His mother told me the other
| day that he had measles and whoop-
! ing cough in one winter and this is
| the result Is ii any wonder that
want to keep my baby away from in
| fection?"
1T never occurred to me that chill
dren could he kept from catching
| these common diseases"
1T is nearly impossible under the
| present rulings of the state board OF
| health. You see, there was law
quarantining whooping cough and
measles but il was repealed few
years ago by short sighted legis'
lature and now there is no protection
against whooping cough and card
| on the door is thought sufficient safe
guard to protect people from measles
| If we are ever going to raise the ply
steal standard OF the race we surely
must have laws that protect the ba-
| bies. 1t seems to me that babies are
| like plants. If they have good start
| they keep right on growing and make
fine sturdy maturity, but if they are
stunted by disease at the beginning OF
| life they never quite catch up. BY
| the way. have you heard that eastern
| physicians are urging extra precau'
| tions for fear of another epidemic OF
| infantile paralysis"
| What are they advising by way OF
prevention asked Mrs. Wheeler.
| Cleanliness of house and grounds
antiseptic washes for noses and
| throats of children and above all to
keep children away from sickness OF
any kind, even common colds, fol
| fear that seemingly slight ailments
may be the beginning of infantile
paralysis. OF course, some people
say that il is not contagious but il
certainly is epidemic, and ! intend tC
| be on the safe side and keep Billy
Boy away from sick babies" and Hell.
en- evidently meant every word that
| she said.
1T probably will be a good thing
| for the baby TO keep him away from
| infection. but ii seems to me little
hard on the mother if she must al
ways stay at home with child in
order to keep him we'll"
"A mother don't necessarily have
to stay at home all the time If the
| father will take his turn occasionally
at the baby tending, and besides there
are many places where the chances OF
| contagion are slight. / feel safe Ia
go to clean, we'll ventilated homes
where there are conscientious moth.
ers who will stop me at the door il
there is a slight illness in the family
and there are out door gatherings
and even a few indoor affairs where
rooms are so thoroughly full of sun
shine and fresh air that a germ does
not care to stay, for you know that a
germ cannot live in the sunshine.
Eyes, | read somewhere the other
day that sunshine kills germs in much
less time than boiling water will kill
them. 1t seems as though we might
use the sunshine. Ii is about the only
thing we have that don't cost money"
But we don't use enough of il.
We are too afraid of spelling cur
tains and rugs. In the summer we
shut out the sunshine because il is
hot and fades things. In the winter
we put on storm windows and make
our rooms air tight TO keep out the
cold and wonder why We feel listless
and dull. When statistics tell us that
tuberculosis is on the increase in Iowa
we wonder why and keep on living in
the same old way instead of opening
up our houses to the sunshine and
fresh air, the only known cure for the
disease"
Have you heard that Mile North
has tuberculosis"
Yes, and | fear that she contract
ed il by living in that old house on
Mulberry street. You remember Mrs.
James died in that house, and every
one said she had consumption, which
is the same thing
You don't suppose that any one
could catch tuberculosis just by liv-
ing in the same house. do you?"
Most certainly, especially that sort
of a house where there are so few
windows and damp cellar Tuber-
culosis is very infectious and is car
ried in dust as well as many other
ways. Lately physicians are urging
tuberculin test for cows because
they say babies are infected during
infancy by drinking cows milk. 1t
really scares me to think of all the
disease germs flying about so | am
going to keep my baby well and
strong as possible and build up his
powers of resistance Please don't
let any other baby come as close to
the measles as mine has today, if you
can help it," and Helen turned to GO
II have enjoyed this visit at the