Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1935-08-08
Health Report
For July Shows
Varied Activity
Two Infantile Paralysis Cases
And Six Typhoid Victims
In Montgomery

",
,&cor summarizes the general health
conditions in Montgomery County in
his monthly report just issued. He
ronts out that there need be no great
alarm over the fact that infantile
paralysis has been found in the coun-
tv. Two cases out of population of
nearly 10000 is not viewed as particu-
larly dangerous, DR.. Ellicott says.
The report follows:
Introduction-It has been found
effective in many Maryland counties
to hold regular meeting of the County
Commissioners officially sitting as the
Board of Health for the purpose of
reviewing the health conditions of the
county. The health officer, as rule,
acts as secretary at these meetings
and submits a monthly report of
health conditions.
The following report is submitted
for the first meeting of the Board of
Health, and in submitting it the health
officer recommends that meetings be
held hereafter on the first Tuesday
or Thursday of each month.
Infantile Paralysis-The citizens of
the county have been somewhat
alarmed over reports of infantile
paralysis occurring in North Carolina
and Virginia with possible spread
northward In the past two months
about fifty cases per week have been
reported from each of these two
southern states. Two cases were re-
ported in Montgomery County in the
last week of July. One of those was
from Gaithersburg and is being treat
ed in Sydenham Hospital in Balti-
more. The other case is from Silver
Spring and is in Childrens' Hospital,
Washington, D. c.
The health officer has not consider
ed it advisable to restrict the activi-
ties of children or forbid the holding
of public meetings. He has, however,
advised against making unnecessary
visits to communities in which several
cases have occurred.
The health officers of Maryland
counties have been called to a meet
ing at the State Department of Health
on August 9th to discuss this disease.
Typhoid Fever - Six cases of
typhoid fever were reported during
the month of July. This is more than
the usual number for a single month
now that this disease has markedly
declined over previous years. Three
OF the July cases occurred in or near
the Sugarland area and search for
a typhoid carrier in this area which
was begun two years ago is being
resumed.
Quarantine Violation-An interest
ing case occurred in which the quar-
antine regulations of the State were
seriously violated. A young colored
woman suffering from a mild sore
throat visited doctor, and on account
of suspicion of diphtheria, had Gull
lures taken for this disease. The Gull
lures proved positive, and the public
health nurse Immediately visited the
woman's house, but found her away
from home. She had of course not yet
been told definitely that her sore
throat was diphtheria.
Through the cooperation of the
Police she was found in a parked
automobile and ordered to remain In
quarantine. A second warning was
given by the nurse the next day. Two
days later she was again found away
from home. A warrant was then OBJ
tanned and, according to customary
procedure, the woman was notified by
a policeman that warrant was
against her. She was not placed under
arrest because she was in a contag-
lous condition.
A few days later she was again
found to be away from home. By this
time it was obvious that force of some
kind would have to be used to keep
the patient isolated. Consultation was
held and it was decided after num-
Der of conferences to segregate the
patient in Sydenham Hospital for
Communicable Diseases, located in
Baltimore City. The patient was again
apprehended through the cooperation
Of the police, transferred by public
health nurse and a police officer in an
ambulance to the hospital and kept
there until the necessary cultures
F0N