The Carbon County news. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1931, 1926-03-25
Measels
BY DR.. ARTHUR L. FOSTER

BY DR.. ARTHU
Few persons reach adult life without
hav ,ag measels, aud one attack is us
ually the limit. In view of these facts
ma, people have the idea that one
mig Mt Just as well expose himself to
it aud be through with it, as he is
bound to get it sooner or later, any
how.
While measels is not a serious dis
ease we never know what case may
TERMINATE fatally. Its general mortal
ity rate is about 5qo.
The cause of measels is still hid
he'd secret However, the fact that
it is highly contagious certainly points
to germ of some kind Whatever it
may be, the poison spreads quickly
and widely.
Very brief exposure will communl-
cate the disease to others; nor is it
necessary to come into close contact
with the patient. Holt reports an in
stance where one child contracted
measels from another fifteen feet
away, after being exposed for only
half an hour. So it may be taken for
granted that, except in the case of
very young infants, exposure to the
disease means its certain contraction.
Measels is most contagious during
the time the fever is highest, the
eruption is most marked, and the ca
tarrhl symptoms most severe. 1t is
not, as a rule, conveyed through the
medium of clothing, furniture or a
third person. Nor is it carried by a
physician who takes just ordinary pre-
cautions.
More Than "Skin-Deep"
Most people think of measels only
in terms of the rash, whereas the dis
ease is much more than skin-deep.
The changes in the mucous membrane
lining the mouth, nose, eyes, throat
and bronchial tubes are Just as much
a part of the disease as are those of
the skin. There is virtually always
a marked inflammation of these parts,
wi-cn causes all the complications and
after-effects that go with measels.
And the unfortunate part of it is that
these complications occur mostly in
children under four, who are the least
able to cope with them.
The most common complications are
broncho- pneumonia, inflammation of the
bowels, disease of the ear, and mem
braneous Group. The most dangerous
of all is, of course, pneumonia-which
occurs most often in children under
two years of age.
Measels, as a rule, develop grad
ually, the first symptoms being those
of ''cold in the head redness of the
eye-lids, watering of the eyes, aver
sion to light, sneezing, and running
of the nose. When there is added to
these symptoms of a barking cough
it shows that the inflammation has ex-
tended down into the larnyX. Accom-
panying these local signs are the usual
systemic symptoms Of all infectious
diseses-drowsiness, tired feeling
dullness, headache, and pains in the
back.
This so-called invasion period lasts
three or four days, and is followed by
the appearance of the rash, which is
first seen behind the ears, on the neck
and at the roots of the hair along the
forehead. The next day the rash
shows up on the face, front of the
neck, upper part of the chest, and the
back. On the third day the remain
der of the trunk is covered and scat
tered spots appear on the extremities
By the time it has fully covered tn,
limbs it has started to fade from tn
face, and it continues to fade in tn
order of its appearance.
auanna Recession Dangerous
Most doctors just smile wisely whe
people talk about the danger of tn
rash sgoing in" when the child is eX
posed to the cold. But there is res
danger in recession of the rash, as wi
be seen when we consider what tn
rash really is.
Now then-WHY is there a rash
measels or any eruptive fever? Hel
is the answer, and it explains the dal
ger of recession:
The blood and lymph streams al
choked with certain type of poiso
The kidneys and bowels strive valian
ly to eliminate it, but they are unequ
to the task, and the skin-the create
eliminator of them all-comes to tt
rescue 1t starts to cast out the pr
son through it's countless open por
and it suffers certain injury in t
process, which we call rash, who
nature depends on the kind of pois
being thrown off. The reason the ra
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