OCR Text |
Show The Seonrge of Diphtheria. Editob Democrat: Too much cannot be said in condemnation of a City Council Coun-cil that would hold their meetings, as our Council did the other evening, and do nothing to prevent the spread of a terrible disease. Diphtheria is raging throughout the city, bo much so, that in any part of town one can see the yellow flag flying, but why it is put up no one can tell, unless un-less to keep strangers from the house j where the disease is surely not to keep the neighbor out of the house for in a great many places the neighbors run in and out, caring naught for the disease. As far as quarantining goes, it is a farce, for every case that is reported there are two that are not. In one house in the Nineteenth ward four children died with the disease, and the authorities knew nothing of the cases. It is said that there are thirty cases in the Nineteenth Nine-teenth and Sixteenth wards not reported. re-ported. The other day in the Eleventh ward schoolhouse a children's dance was given, and probably 100 children chil-dren were there. Just across the Btreet the yellow flag was flying.and a little sufferer suf-ferer was lying nearly dead. She has since died ; and no one can tell how many of the children at that dance suffer likewise. like-wise. The promoters of tho dance should be punished for criminal action. Among the poor a doctor is scarcely ever called in until death comes, the case being given to some old woman who knows as much about diphtheria a3 a mule does about rheumatism. Something Some-thing should be done to prevent the spread of the terrible disease, for many mothers are living in dread that their little lit-tle ones may be the next victims, and the fact that they can do but little to keep them from caching the disease fenders the dread more horrible. . Action should be taken in the matter by the citizens if the City Council intends to do nothing. Stir it up. Let a Board of Health be appointed, ap-pointed, the city cleaned, and the scourge stopped in its course. . C. A. S. |