The Republican., 1925-05-28
When Johnny Has Scarlet Fever

Johnny has scarlet fever" was the
sign that greeted the eyes at the er-
trance to one of the bed rooms in the
model cottage at the Better Home eZ-
hibit at Bel Air, last week. Johnny,
who was apparently convalescirg,
was represented by a life size dol,
sitting up in bed propped up with
pillows, ready for his midday meal.
Everything in the room was ar
ranged with the idea of giving John
ny the best of care possible, and of
preventing the spread Of the disease
to the other rembers of the family
and to the community. Just inside
the door hrng a clean white gown,
such as sugeons use, for the doctor
to wear vile in the room On another
peg hum the washable gown for
mother. with the soiled side hanging
outside
Thr two Hartford county public
healA nurses who arranged the ex-
hib., took turns in being on duty to
arWer questions. But they had also
1Oelled the exhibit in such a way
ihat it could do much of it's own ex-
planning. Every idea that was illus
trated was based upon the rules of
the State Department Of Health for
the control Of communicable diseases,
Nd Of Ant INT
practice in any home where there IS
sickness from any sort of infectious
diseases. Some of the most noticeable
features were:
1st. Everything in the room could
be boiled or washed with steriliZing
solution, or could be burned. The
floors were bare and were covered
with washable rugs. A pillow case
opened out and hanging over the back
Of a chair served as laundry bag. A
paper bag pinned to the bed received
the pieces of cheese cloth or the paper
napkins that were used as handker-
chiefs. The childs own washcloth and
towel and his bath supplies, soap,
toothbrush and tooth paste, were on
a little tray-a bright new pie plate
near by.
On a table at the foot of thu bed
there was a small hand basin, with
hand brush, soap and bottle of lysol
and mothers towels
near by, SO that mothers hands can
be scrubbed and sterilized before she
leaves Johnny's room. A place was
also reserved on the table for a glass
holding Johnny's mouth wash, made
of equal parts of lemon juice, glycer-
inc and water, and also for the small
dish pan, the soap and towels for
Johnny's dishes, which of course must
be sterilized and washed in the room.
On the floor stood the covered tin
pals for the wash water, and likewise
a tin waste basket, lined with paper
bag so that the remnants of food left
from Johnny's dinner could be gath
cred up and burned in the kitchen
stove without coming in contact with
any of the belongings of the rest of
the family.
End. Many of the devices that
added to the comfort of the patients
were homemade and at little or no ex-
pense. The bed table on which the
food tray rested was made of the top
and ends of canned goods packing
case, painted white. An old bread
board scrubbed white, and covered
with folded sheet, served as the
back rest.
The Bel Air Better Home exhibit
was the work of the Hartford County
Federation of Women's Clubs, of
which Miss Mary Risteau, Maryland's
pioneer woman legislator, incidental
ly one of its we'll known farmers, is
chairman. Furniture and dainty be-
longings, and all sorts of labor saving
devices for the up-to-date housekeep-
er, were lent by local concerns, and
the result was as attractive as it was
capable of practical application,