The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1920-08-13
MEASLES


closing the schools.
Mrs. English laid down the newspa-
per and rubbed her glasses.
"The idea," she said, "close the
schools for measles. Measles is ma
tural for children, and the sooner they
have 'em and be over with 'em, the
better. l tell mothers to take their
youngsters where measles is, so they
can ketch EN-"
Was Mrs. English right?
She did not know that during the
past five years 1870 Pennsylvania
children died from measles; an annual
average of TIA
During the same period, scarlet
fever claimed less than half this
number.
Mrs. English knew measles when
she saw or smelled it; fever, headache,
red watery eyes, sneezing, dry cough,
later followed by the measles rash of
irregularly shaped bright red spots,
which disappear by the seventh or
eighth day; that was all.
She also knew measles was "ketch-
in"
One day when she "just dropped in"
at the Carson's, she saw DR.. Johnson
examining the inside of little Freddies
cheek. DR. Johnson was her good
friend, she baked the best mince pies
in Blacksburg This was in the old
time days, before January II, when
all good mince pies had a ting, so he
said: Come here, Mrs. English, l
want to show you something. This
can be seen only in strong daylight"
Then the Doctor proceeded to press
his finger into Freddie's cheek until
he had turned the inner side of 1t into
plain view. Look closely at the
bright red spots on the lining of the
cheek and you will see in the center
of each a tiny bluish-white, gllsten-
ing dot. These are called Koplik's
spots. Whenever you find them you
may be sure that measles will develop
in from one 10 three days"
They were hard to see, but Mrs
English had good spectacles and she
made them out quite plainly.
When Mrs. English came home that
day she found her little grandson,
Edgar, dull, feverish, with running
nose and red eyes. In five minutes
Edgar, in Grandmas lap, before the
strong light at the front window, was
making vigorous protest as his cheek
was turned wrong side out. The lit
tie shiny Koplik spots were there.
Edgar was not getting well at the
end of a week Bronchopneumonia, a
common complication, set in.
He was not we'll at the end of one.
of two, of three months. He stayed
thin and weak
The Doctor came one day and, as
the little patient sat propped up in the
big chair on the front porch, he tapped
his chest and listened with the stethe-
scope. He told Edgar funny stories
and laughed, but there was no laugh
ter in the Doctors heart
tuberculosis, a common sequel OF
measles, was present and rapidly pro
crossing.
Mrs. English no longer advises moth
ers "to take their children where
measles is
There We're $1,000 cases Of measles
reported in Pennsylvania in 1917;
there were many unreported cases.
Out of every 65 cases reported one
died. mostly those under two years.
Measles is most transmissible in the
beginning period before the rash
comes out, when the eyes are red, the
nose running and the child is fever
ish and coughs. 1t is carried by
coughing in a close room, by the
hands, possibly by handkerchiefs, pen
ellis, towels, drinking cups, etc. It's
spread can be lessened by early recog-
milton and prompt quarantine
The law requires that measles be
reported. When no doctor is called
those responsible for the care of chill
dren are required TO report all cases
of sore throat, rash or persistent
cough; the law further requires that
school children suffering from fever
or sore throat be sent home. When
measles is reported it is quarantined
for a minimum period of sixteen DAYS.
No child is allowed to come to school
from a measles home till the quar-
antine is lifted.
the Doctor or the Nurse shall enter
a room occupied by a measles patient,
or touch anything which such a pa
tent has touched till it has been
sterilized
When a measles child is sent home
the school is dismissed only for such
period as Is needful to accomplish a
thorough cleaning and airing Of the
room. The children's parents are eau
toned not to send them to school if
they are droopy; and every child is
each morning, carefully inspected for
red eyes, running noses, sore throat,
cough, or better still, lack Of pep,
which usually precedes the more pro-
nounced symptoms which denote that
the contagious stage has been reached.
Consumption is a common sequel of
measles, it occurs only In children who
have already had the seeds of it i'm
planted in their systems, or who have
been exposed to infection while still
weakened.