New Britain herald., 1925-10-20
Your Health
How to Keep It
Causes of Illness
BY DR.. Hugh s, Cumming

d. 90 .. a'. g. ...t ~ .Al
From a public health STANDPOINT
every parent should recognize the
fact that measles Is disease OF
prime Importance IL Is q disease OF
close association, A single chlid IN
the beginning stages of measles may
easily infect titteen or twenty other
people and because OF inns TACT u IS
highly important mat anyone
known or thought 10 be SUFFERING
from measles should not be allowed
to come in contact with well persons
who have not mad the disease until
the fever accompanying the disease
has passed, and the patient released
from quarantine at which hme ne
should be free from nasal discharge
and free from "A cold
The first symptoms OF measles
usually appear about ten days atter
exposure. At this time the eyes OF
the child usually become red ana
watery. The eyelids show signs OF
puffiness and the eyes themselves
are sensitive.
In severe cases. the whole face
Is swollen and pulled, the throat 10
parched and dry and an lrrltatlns
cough adds to the discomfort.
The child is apt to come nome
from school feeling dro"sy ana r.
ritable and complaining OF chilly
sensations, He may even have
chill. At night the irritation IN
creases, the child Is teVerlsh' the
whites of the eyeballs show little
red lines upon them and the SUI
ferer gives the appearance OF a. per-
son about to cry
There may be te" httle req
spots on the hard palate ana II you
look closely on the membrane Of, the
cheek inside the mouth you VIII
probably see some, small Thlte-
tipped, reddish spots. lhese are
called "kopllks' Spots ana are one
OF the signs OF measles.
Child should lie hcpt III beo
A child showing such signs shoulo
be kept in bed. At the END OF the
day the fever Will be hlgher imam
it was the night before. Ihere VIII
be great restlessness, rolling ana
tossing about the BED, frequent re-
quests for a drink OF water.
These manifestations will continue
for three or four days and one morn"
ing when the child IS having us pain
some little dusky red spots VIII
appear on the hair line.
Within tWenty-four hours tHls
rash will spread over the BODY ana
the child will look very much De-
speckled and swollen. In from fve
to seven days the rash will begin 10
fade and within three or four days
thereafter will be entirely gone,
leaving behind, perhaps, a faint
nothing of the skin.
This is followed by the throwing
off by the outer layer of the skin OF
a great many little bran-like fakes.
although the skin does not actually
peel as in scarlet fever.
This process lasts about a week.
and the fever will disappear. This
is description Of mild case Of
measles.
Some cases Of measles are more
maglignant. The child may suffer
from commissions, from high fever,
and excessive development Of all the
ordinary symptoms, or the rash
when 1t appears instead OF being req
may be a bluish-black discoloration.
In appearance much like a recent
brutse.
In all cases great care should be
taken that bronchial pneumonia does
not develop. Bronchial pneumonia 10
one OF the most fatal OF all the
complications OF measles. While all
severe cases may not be grave. you
should be constantly on the alert
lest bronchial pneumonia develop.
Measles Is serious disease ana
spares very few exposed persons
who have not had 1t.
The old Idea, still prevalent among
the uninformed, to the effect that
children should be exposed to
measles early in order that they may
have the disease and get 1t over
with is erroneous.
Chilling May Cause Pneumonia
A child with measles should be
put to bed and kept there as long
as 1t has any FEVER or cough. the
room should be airy but 1t should
be darkened because children with
measles are very sensitive to light
The bed clothes should be thin
because the child is apt to become
too warm, kick off the comforters
and suffer from q cold. A chilling
of this kind may predispose to
pneumonia. Food should be light
i and should consist chiefly Of nu-
tritious broths soft boiled eggs, and
the like.
Milk, unless certified and Of
known purity, should be pasteurized.
A little iced lemonade will prove
, | cpo1 fprtinp IN the -infia mad throat