The infectivity and management of scarlet fever / by W.T. Gordon Pugh.

  • Pugh, William Thomas Gordon, 1872-1945.
Date:
1905
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The infectivity and management of scarlet fever / by W.T. Gordon Pugh. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    THE MANA(HvMENT OF SCARLET FEVER. It is now generally recognised that, owing to the several sources of infection with which 1 have dealt in the Hi*st section of this paper, eradication of the disease from large centres of population will not result fron; isolation of the notified cases, lint this is no reason why every endeavour should not be made to limit the spread of infection. Though the case death- rate was only ‘I’I })3r cent, among the patients treated in the Board’s hosi)itals during nephritis occurred in .)‘.‘l])er cent.,endocarditis or pericarditis in ’8 percent., middle ear disease in lo’b j)er cent., and mastoid abscess in ‘8 per cent. Scarlet fever, therefore, cannot be regarded, even now, as other than a serious illness. The methods of management, which are being adopted with a view to the limiting of infection, 1 shall now j)ioceed to discuss, giving statistics illustrating the results of each. Scarlet fever may be treated at home or in hospital, and there are drawbacks to each system. Home isolation tends to become a farce when the entire family occupies but two or three rooms, and, generally s])eaking, such isolation is not ])racticable among the poorer classes. When the ])atient is retained at home the wage-earner, by reason of ])opular feeling, often finds hiimself unable to continue at work. There is absence of skilled nursing; syringing of the tliroat, and feeding* by artificial means, often needed in septic cases, are of course not available. Even among the more well-to-do home treatment is not without its drawbacks. 'Fhe isolation is frecpiently defective, and secondaiy cases are apt to arise, while the ])atient has to j)ass the whole periotl of convales- cence indoors, confined to the tedium of an often ill-ventilated !)cdroom. Home Treatment—First Method.—I'here are two methods of home treatment. In the one more commonly adopted the ])atient is isolated from the other susceptible inmates by being kept to a single room. In Manchester, during 1001, roughly one-fifth of the notified cases were treated at home. Dr. Xiven,* the medical officer of health, using the rent to determine the circumstances of households, * Heport on the Health ot the City of M.-uichct^ter. 1901.