The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1921-12-29
CLUB WOMEN HEAR
VALUABLE TALKS
REGULAR TUESDAY SESSION OF
CIVIC LEAGUE OF EXTRA
INTEREST
LOCAL DOCTORS TALK
Potent Facts and Startling Figures
Bearing on Preventable
Diseases

The program of the Civic Leagu
at their monthly meeting, held las
Tuesday evening at the Erickson no
tel, was largely devoted to the sub
ject of Public Health, and addresse
were given by DR.. ]. c. DeWane, cit.
physician and DR.. T. M. Morrow
county physician Pleasing musica
numbers were also given by a tri'
composed of Mrs. A. K. Tice, Mrs.J
c. DeWane and Mrs. Geo. Flint, ant
by Mrs. Kenneth King who sang tive
solos. Mrs. Shipman played the ac
compartments. There was also as
sembly singing by the club members
DR.. DeWane took as the subject Of
his address the most common of the
contagious diseases. Listed in the
order of the frequency of their oc
curance in Wolf Point during the
past two years, they are: measles
scarlet fever, diphtheria, small poS
mumps. At the outset the symptoms
there usually being chills, more OF
iSSS lever, d ulSClldl &c lIOlii IliS Iooe
and frequently sore throat, head
ache and back ache. Symptoms that
determine exactly what disease a
sick person has, may not appear for
several days. Parents should there
fore consult a doctor when child
shows the first named symptoms, be-
cause in diseases where there is a
specific preventive, having this adj
ministered at the beginning of the
disease, will greatly Tighten the Sc
verify of it. In the case of diphther-
la, if the antitoxin can be admins
tered during the first few hours af-
ter symptoms appear, the patient is
likely to be entirely well within from
"a to 4S hours thereafter, but if
the diphtheria has been allowed to
run for several days, the antitoxin
cannot check its progress so rapidly.
Much of Sickness Preventable
DIR. DeWane stated that the most
pitiful thing about epidemics of con-
tagious diseases was the fact that
they are usually preventable, and
therefore unnecessary. He said it
was often the case that parents sus-
pecting that a child was coming
down with contagious disease,
would not call a physician or notify
the health officers, but would con-
ceal the case, frequently letting other
children in the family continue to go
to school, Friends of the family
might know of the illness, might sus-
pect that it was contagious, but con-
slider that it was not their business
to notify the health authorities. This
usually resulted in outbreaks of the
disease in various parts of the city,
which, if the truth were, known, pro-
Dably could be traced directly to the
,ontagion being carried by the child
zen going to school from the home
where the disease existed. However
where the original case is reported,
,ther children from the family kept
,ut of school and away from those |
@ whom they might give the disease
t is often possible to prevent the
tart of an epidemic and confine the
pread of the disease to one family. !,
The doctor scored heavily those
,eople who, by their "hands Off at
itude and unwillingness to report
diseases to the author
ties, permit others to conceal such
ources of contagion and thus en-
anger the public health. He said
hat the responsibility for preventing
he spread of disease should rest on
II citizens. Anyone who saw anoth-
r poisoning a we'll from which little
hildren obtained drinking water, he I
aid, would lose no time in inform /
lg the authorities. Yet the person |
-ho by his negligence, peddles dis {
ase, or knowingly permits it to be
eddled in community, is just as i
.uch a potential murderer as the t
ian who poisons well.
After-Effects Often Bad Y
No tonly is there the discomfort
nd inconvenience of an illness it. @
If TO contend with, but, with a c
lmDer OF Cne common contagious t
seases, there are apt to be serious t
'ter-effects which are a much great r
menace to the health and life of a
e individual than the original sick o
,ss. A common complication of
easles is pneumonia, and there is
of eye or ear trouble af
rward. Scarlet fever is frequent il
followed by brights disease or ad- j
SIS of the middle ear. Diphtheria ie
often complicated by bronchial b
eumonia, and is frequently follow e.
by muscular paralysis of certain n
rts of the body. The spread of Il
phtheria is harder to control than te
at of some other diseases because in