The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1934-10-19
Let Our Motto Be
GOOD HEALTH
BY DR.. LLOYD ARNOLD
Professor of Bacterioloey and Preventive }
Medicine, University of Illinois,
|, College Of Medicine.
MEASLES

every one has to have measles soon
er or later, and the best thing to do
is to have 1t soon and have 1t over
with. It Is estimated that 05 per cent
of adults have had 1t. Just because
measles does not have such a high
death rate as smallpox and scarlet
fever, two other diseases character
lied by rash. is no reason why we
should let 1t continue. II we will all
work together, we can stamp 1t out,
as we have nearly succeeded In doing
with smallpox.
In children over seven years,
measles without complications Is not a
serious disease. But In children under
six years, particularly under three
years, measles too often results IN
death, or the child develops pneu-
monia or ear infections from It, and
then death may follow these diseases,
or the child may sustain some other
ailment that he will carry through
life. During an average measles year
In Illinois-a measles epidemic occurs
every second or third year-there
were $4,000 cases, with 287 deaths.
Most of the deaths were in the under
six year group. This tally does not
take into account the children who
died from pneumonia following the
attack of measles. If 1t had, the num-
Der of victims would have been much
larger.
Measles begins as a common sore
throat and head cold ailment. The
child Is feverish and irritable; then
about the fourth day the distinctive
measles rash occurs This rash Is very
diffuse 1t looks as If the skin had
been rubbed with pale red ink. The
patient Is sick for at least another
FIVE days. In the case of older children
who are put to bed and kept quiet
and warm under a physicians care,
there Is little to worry about
We do not know what causes
measles But we do know that 1t Is
contagious during the early head cold
stage of the disease, before the skin
rash appears. In fact, it's difficult to
diagnose a head cold as the begin
ming stage of measles before the rash
has appeared. Consequently, If there
are any measles In the neighborhood
and your child develops head cold
and sore throat, keep him or her
isolated from other children who have
not had measles. In that way you
can help protect the other children.
Or there is a better way Of pro-
tecting the child who has not had
measles. Science has not been able
to develop vaccine against measles,
as 1t has against smallpox and ty-
phoid, since 1t does not know the
causative agent Of measles, but 1t has
learned that If the blood of person
who has had measles is injected into
a child who has not had measles. the
child can be prevented from having
the disease. If the child has been ex-
posed to measles. the injection should
be given within four days after the
time of exposure, as that is the period
of incubation of the disease. If the
child has already reached the head
cold stage, the injection will mean
less severe case than would otherwise
occur.
The blood injection must be made
by physician. 1t is not given straight.
The blood Is mixed with a sterile solu-
ton Of sodium citrate, which prevents
the blood from CLOTHING. The injection
Is then very simple matter. Walls
of sterile solution of sodium citrate
are supplied by the departments Of
health of many states to practicing
physicians free of charge. Many ply
sicians make practice Of having
them on hand always.
The best blood to get comes from
a person who is In the convalescent
stage of the disease. Five cubic cent?
meters or one-sixth ounce of GONZALES.
cent measles serum will protect a
child from measles. If this convalescent
serum is not available. then the blood
of a person who has recovered from
measles one to FIVE years previously
is next best. More of this blood is
required, though. And If the blood is
not available, then the blood of one
Of the parents or any other adult
who has had the disease in childhood
can be used. It requires FIVE to six
times the amount of blood from adults
as 1t does from convalescent cases to
give immunity.
A person very rarely has measles
twice. Once gives immunity. The
epidemics generally begin around
Christmas and extend to spring. The
peak of an epidemic is usually reached
in late February or early March. But
cases occur all the year round, and
it is wise to be on the watch as soon
as school begins. There were an ex-
ceptional number of cases throughout
the United States last year. 1t is
not a record to be proud of.
We cannot emphasize too strongly
that parents should make every effort
to keep their children from contract
ing the disease. particularly children
under six years of age. Also special
pains should be taken to keep the
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