The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1922-06-21
ONLY MEASLES
BY GEORGE w. GoLER, M. D.,
Health Officer, Rochester, N. Y.

a rE AI ES. a sanskrit word meaning a little spot, is the commonest erupuye
lN disease of children. While this disease has been known Tor man
sonorated It rom smallpox with which it a COMPOUNDED in the severe
enidemns of both diseases which then ragged. Only 300 years ago sydenham,
AZ English physician, separated measles from scarlet fever, with which 1t
was until then confused. 1t is known in every country, ava and civilized,
cold and hot. 1t goes round and round the world in epidemics which are
usually Tor severe every other year.
There are many peculiar things about measles. 1t Is al everpresenr
disease. breaking ut n more severe epidemic form in the winter and early
snrinp and declining in summer. 1t is a germ disease, the poison of the
disease occurring in the blood and in the mucus from the nos and throat
Tme germs o. the disease nave not been isolated, but the disease may be
produced in monkeys by rubbing the inside of the nose of these animals with
nasal OF throat mucus from a patient suffering with the disease.
Measles is very contagious or catching" 1t is nearly always taken by
contact With another person having the disease. Rarely do handkerchiefs
eating utensils, etc, convey the disease. 1t is usually infectious before the
disease ut OIL the skin, and one is in danger of catching it only a few
d ans ahout i've after the disease comes out. Like all other eruptiye diseases
tive tract, etc, before it comes nut. And like other eruptve diseases. it
never 10 never, strikes in.
Refore the eruption appears oil thu skin 1t may be eel o. the inside
of the cheeks, back of the throat and IN the gums IS little red spots known
% Konlk,s spots,"a fer DR.. Henry C. Kophk, who first described them.
From the fact that the disease is in before it comes out, it is almost always
snreod by coughing and sneezng in other peoples (chndrens) faces, and
discharges from the ar make the disease catching for a long time, because
the matter from the EAR contains the poison of the disease.
When a child develops fever, rapid pulse, short, barking cough. and
there is found first, n eruption on the inside of the cheeks and the mouth,
as described, and second IN the outside O. the body behind the ears spread
I'M over the body as purple spots, it Is measles
A great deal of damage is done to the body by measles; just how much,
we don't know. 1t is like scarlet fever one of those diseases, which rarely
kills in itself, but kills later o by the complications 1t may cause. Measles
ue other diseases in children, interferes with the growth of the body; helps
to cause decay of the teeth by interfering with their development. 1t is
worry Ikelyt to afect. the ears, causing catarrh of the ears and rupture of the
ear drums 1t is believed from the changes it makes n the hearing apparatus
n aus no of the deafness in later life.
But it does eve more than this. AS it is largely a disease of the upper
air passages, it often extends to the lungs causing bronchitis and broncho
pneumonia. This bronchopneumoniaa and other comphcating diseases make a
co foundation for future tuberculosis.
While we cannot prevent measles by vaccination and we have 40 specific
treatment fr measles, it is well to keep children from having the disease
until they are out of the formative period, until the teeth are well erupted
Although very young babies frequently have measles in a mild form and
from having this disease a long a possible and thus avoid n way in
which they may be made good subjects for tuberculosis.