Show 0 SCARLET FEVER scarlet lover la is tho the most serious of the contagious diseases of childhood because it Is often a severe infection and causes many deaths and because it may cause heart or kidney ey disease it la Is probably caused by a streptococcus eyen though unlike diseases caused by other organisms ot of dr nathans nathan S that type patients davis III who have once had it are usually permanently manent ly immune immunized zed against the disease it is such a serious disease that the utmost precautions should be ba taken to prevent its aprea spread d oven even t though ou h the local quarantine regulations do not contain such provisions it has been shown that the largo large majority of children who have not had scarlet faver or who have not been immunized against it by repeated injections of tho the sterile toxin and a fairly large proportion of adults are susceptible to tho the disease scarlet fever Is primarily a throat infection with an organism a streptococcus that forms a toxin which causes the typical rash and the damage to the kidneys which may enter tho the blood stream and infect the heart or may spread to infect tho the mastoid or other sinuses in a recent study of a large series of cases it was found that at the end of a 28 day quarantine period 63 per cent of the patients were carthe FIGHT AGAINST INFANTILE PARALYSIS 1921 NO 60 batir too MI 1599 18 1928 1381 12 1915 1040 1944 1026 08 1928 1935 1940 I 1 I 1 tiers of an hemolytic streptococcus cu which was probably the one causing the disease modern methods for the control of scarlet fever should be adopted everywhere these include 1 isolation of the patient 2 dick tests on all contacts including adults to determine their susceptibility to the disease 3 culturing of material from the nose and throat of all contacts on blood agar plates to determine whether or not they are carriers 4 take the temperature and inspect the throat and the upper part of the trunk of eaf all contacts it if the temperature and inspection lead one to suspect the imminence of scarlet fever immunization may be produced by injecting at least neutralizing units of scarlet fever antitoxin or of anade an adequate dose of convalescent serum at least 40 cc one week after tho the passive immunization dose or as soon as a contact is found susceptible active immunization with five graduated doses of scarlet fever toxin is begun it the contact gives a negative skin test and a negative culture he needs no treatment all who are carriers who have positive cultures must be isolated and it also susceptible must bo be ammu nihed at once by the active method A contact who is susceptible but who has a negative culture need not bo be isolated AU patients and all carriers must be quarantined quarantine dun until cultures made from the nose and throat are negative for the le lc streptococcus when methods such as have been outlined were used in the care of scarlet fever patients in evanston ill the number of cases dropped from in 1938 1933 to 65 in 1939 and in a series of consecutive cases there were no contact cases regulations similar to those adopted in evanston on recommendation of drs gladys R H and george dick should be adopted by au all local and state health departments that tho number of cases of scarlet fever may be reduced at least proportionately in all parts of the united states theres ri erca clite one liberty we have in in a dern democracy we would bo be better off without the liberty to be needlessly unhealthy paul brooks al M D QUE QUESTION STION BOX send questions tiong to dr nathan S davis III yvinne ves k III enclose a self elf addressed stamped enve enveloped lopeL I 1 Q what would be the cause of 1 pimples or sores in the eart ear N S 1 A dirt or acne I 1 Q what is the most frequent cause of strop infection and what is thu best corrective F E aone A one of the many varieties of streptococci avoid people with cold and sore lib keep wounds or burns covered with etcille gauze cauze use USA pasteurized milk and milk products |