"IMPETIGO CONTAGIOSA."

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 495, 30 April 1909, Page 9

"IMPETIGO CONTAGIOSA."

an aspect of school hyciene. mistaken;; for smallpox. "Impetigo Contagiosa'' wrote Dr. Frong- • ley, -District Health. Officer at Wellington, in the'• course of a lengthy dissertation on a certain 'school. disorder- which 'had been re-ported-'to the Education Board, "is .a common occurrence amongst school children. 1 have had brought. under my notice many instances during my tenure of office as district health officer in the Auckland and . Wellington provinces. The disease may. occur at all ages r.nd in all-classes, put ib most common among the children of tho ;poor.' It manifests itself in small blebs or pimples, in which matter forms, and is quickly replaced by thick yellow-brown crusts or scabs, which show moro generally about the'mouth-and nose. This comparatively innocuous trouble is extraordinarily contagions; In the playground, or in using towels, or in many other ways, the pus _or matter of the sores conies in -contact with the healthy skin of other children, and so tho malady spreads. "While it may. be noted that a' generic' and sufficiently explanatory, word for the: causation of this somewhat startlingly titled disease is .simply 'D-i-r-t, yet it must bo remembered that the cleanest children of the most careful parents may contract the disease: The remedy is very simple. It may bo summed up thus: boap, water,' and' a 'scrubbing brush, and the application to the sores themselves of some antiseptic ointment, the ;almost unfailing one commonly used being' made, up f of. five> grains of'white precipitate ointment,' mixed up in an ounce of;vaseline. .What : .should the Jsohool-teacher do?", There is no needvwhatcvor to close the, school, rlt-would be, .almost as" reasonable, inihy opinion, to close on-account of ordinary: infectious colds m the head.' The hcadtcachor. should, in .purchanco of the powers eiven him under the Act, require the affected children to remain awaV from- school till -the but-cropping, of 'mattery : soots has ceased,-and. suggest that the Barents', attend to-the cleansing .and hdaliiig bf the sores. While the.disease is in t!ie neighbourhood, 1 it would be better to prohibit the use of a common .school towel or. towels, and a good 'spring-cleaning, of tho school itself,' especially,.implying the thor•oiMi' scrubbing of the desk tops, should bo entered- upon." There is no; need for. paront3 to" 1)0 ; alarmed; - .A .momentary;'scare was caused ;a '• little. While I ago.-- in:-Karon > by a little boy 'answering' to',.the:, absence ,ot.- a selio»l-fellow,: by i.saying, 'Please,:sir/- he has smallptx.': ■:■ On'investigation ,1/ discovered ■'Impotigo'Contagiosa. 1 .. . ■ ■■''.'.-'•'' .-The'above letter-waa' read at tho ■ meeting of-the Education. Board, yesterday,-and the opinion generally',expressed that it, shoulc. be widely, circulated. ■'~-'.. '■■■'■ (.; '■ ; ;■'•■ _ ' 'Mr./'AV.' C. Buchanan', commented ..rather sarcastically-on the f act.:'.thaS ; tlie Health Department nad not, upbn Receipt : or tho report on tho particular case which formed.the subject of the' letter, shown 'that prccipi-. tancy : in ' investigation : which was. naturally looked for in-a Department '[which was concerned .with the health of.'the community. Tho matter had,bocnreported_on the. Wednesday,but was;not inquired into until .the. Monda'y Allowing. ..He expressed .the. con-,, viction'.'that' a,-little .more .activity on the part of the officers .otthe. Department might reasonably bb expected on: occasions such_as the-one -under review;, in moving that.- i)r. "Fren'gloy 'be'thanked for'his : "voluminous - letter, ; ho : suggested that this, be pointed The Chairman, -referring",to '. schools' at. such tim.es,,;thpught.t,hat it might, bb advisable ts make a new rule that in dealin" 'with'outbreak's of an.' epidemic nature, where the circumstances seemed to warrant Alie'closing of the. school, such closing should bnlyHafeieffect.pending'a Visit-from an .offi- • "ce'r-of'tlio Health Department, on whoso advicotho r -schqblmiglrt.'be. reopened, or con- • tinuov closed -vas'. tho-.case might be. ■, -It was .tho'.'bbard -should be safeguarded -''against.the,practice of closing tho schools.oni.the.'slightest'p.retext... Such cases wore not.unknownvin the past. , .■ • '■■ ' - . . Mr:'.Buchanan .emphasised, the fact that outbreaks .'of: this- nature.' should be imme-•diately'.V-investigated.vlt was all. very, well r^Dr. v -Trengley;'frbm tho fullness of his own' ;khowledge, -'to say that there was. no need-' for- parents to' be alarmed. Parents "were hot-so well qualified aB to be in a position'to say whether-there was any cause for alarm or riot. It was .the .duty of the medical -officer' testate that, 'i..' ;- '-.'_' ■. The';bbard resolved that a letter of thanks" be forwarded to Dr. Frengley;'-