Newark post., 1920-06-09
Mothers Column

the Medical ConsuItant of the State
Rcc0nstruction Commission. Sub
mitfcd By the Commission through
the clearing House of the Delaware
state Program.
COMMUNICABLE DISEASES |
Due to the prevalence of COM
municable diseases in Delaware at
the present time, it might be well to
devote the next two or three articles
to information regarding them, in
order that parents may be able to
Judge as to whether their own
children or their children s play
mates are developing such disease
or. having had it, are free from all
signs denOting infectiousness. By
observing such 81 gns parents may
be able to prevent their own chill
drrn from acquiring the disease. !
Scarlet Fever
Scarlet fever is a much dreaded
and very serious disease. 1t causes
about One-twentieth of all the
deaths that occur in the United
States yearly. It's incubation period
is very short, only from two to
four days. It's attack is sudden. 1t
begins with headache, sore throat,
rapid rise of temperature, vomiting
and faintness. The tongue becomes
the color of a ripe strawberry, the
throat is very red. Small red
spots appear on the roof of the
mouth, The glands of the neck Of
ten become enlarged. The charac-
teristic rash appears in from twelve
to thirty-six hours from the time of
the onset of the symptoms. 1t ap-
pears first on the chest and neck.
Scarlet fever is infectious from
the time of the appearance Of the
rash It is one of the most infec-
tious of all diseases, being carried
in many instances by third per-
son-One who has not had the dis
ease. Clothes, bed linen, books and
so forth, often carry it. In some
cases it has been carried for a year
or more in these article. The dis
charges from the body and the
peeled skin are infectious.
\ physician is essential in the
treatment of this disease. The pa,
tient should be put to bed immedi
ately and placed on a milk diet
Broths and highly albuminous
foods, such as eggs, are to be avoid
3D. The patient should be kept IL
bed for at least three to four weeks
and all symptoms carefully noted
for complications in scarlet fever
are many and varied. Gold bath
at 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit ar,
frequently useful as means o
lowering the temperature. The pa
tient should not be kept in such ;
bath more than five minutes, ant
must be dried Immediately upon re
moval from it. Of course the pa
tient must not be removed from hi
room for this purpose. If larg
tub is not available, sponge bait
may be given.
Isolation must be complete. Othe
children should be removed from
the house during the illness. |
this is not possible, do not unde
any circumstances allow anyone Il
the sick room, except the persol
who is nursing the patient and tn
physician. All excess furnitur
such as pictures, mirrors, carpet
and 50 forth, should be remove,
from the room in order to racilitat
dlsinfection at the end of tn
period Of isolation. All bed liner
night clothes and 50 forth, must b
sterilized for thirty minutes i
some solution before being sent t
the laundry. A two per cent cal
bolic acid solution, Give teaspoons
full of carbolic acid to one quar-
Of water) is very good for this. A
discharges from the body of tt
patient must be sterilized in
similar solution before being emf
tied At the end Of the Hines
evedything in the room must /
washed with an antiseptic solutio
and exposed to the sunlight befo1
the room is used by other people.
Measles
The incubation period for me-
>IeS is from nine to ten day
BY incubation period we mean tt
length of time it takes for the dl
ease to develop after exposure
1t. The first symptoms which al
noticed in measles are those OF
coId-sneezing, discharge fro
the nose, redness of the eyes, rul
ming of the eyes, cough and sma