SCARLET FEVER. Synonyms.—Scarlatina; Scarlet Rash. Definition ...

Milk being a common source of infection, should be boiled or sterilized
before use by the tubercularly inclined patient. The same may be said of
tubercular beef, it should be thoroughly cooked. Kissing should be
discouraged among all phthisically inclined, for while the virus is
generally found more virulent in dried sputum, the breath from any
diseased person can not be said to be health-producing. Where the
sewage is defective, the excretions should be treated with carbolic acid
solution before being emptied in a vault or even buried in the ground.
Delicate babies should not be intrusted to a wet-nurse unless it is known
that she is perfectly free from tuberculosis; neither should they nurse
from a tuberculous mother. Those phthisically inclined should live much
in the open air, and all indoor occupations should be discouraged; also
such trades where fine particles of dust are inhaled. Delicate children
should be carefully guarded during the convalescent period of infectious
disease, as the danger of tubercular infection is much greater at this
time.
The diet should be wholesome, and sweetmeats, pastries, etc., should be
restricted. Such exercise and gymnastics should be encouraged as
develop the respiratory muscles and increase lung capacity.
To avoid frequent colds, the throat and neck should be bathed in cold
water daily, followed by brisk rubbing with coarse towels. When
possible, the sleeping apartment should be roomy and well ventilated,
and the patient should sleep in a single bed. A change from the city to
the country, or, better still, to a high and dry altitude or to an equable
climate, is to be recommended where such advice can be followed.
In selecting a change of climate, one should go where there is a
maximum of sun and a minimum of moisture, and where the
temperature is equable. Such a climate is ideal for the tubercular
patient. He must be much in the open air. Such a climate may be found
in Arizona, New Mexico, and Southern California. Colorado has also
earned a well-deserved reputation for respiratory diseases. Many are
permanently benefited by a sojourn in the Adirondacks, while the
mountains of the Carolinas and Georgia have proved curative. Texas,
with its wide extent of territory, furnishes sections where tuberculosis is
unknown and where patients recover.
Where, with such a wide range of territory, shall we send our patient?
The Eclectic Practice of Medicine - PART I - Infectious Diseases - Page 212