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A WORD WITH THE WOMEN
(By Ella W. Peattie.)

Forty cases of scarlet fever and six deaths are the result of one woman's carelessness, so says Dr. Towne. There is a terrible fact for a woman to face. But this woman is not exceptional. There are plenty of other women in the city who, from thoughtlessness or ignorance, are laying others open to the danger of incurring a disease by which they may lose their lives. One cannot entertain the idea that these women are selfish, for such selfishness would be ghoulish. To imperil the lives of other women's children, to lay innocent little ones liable to suffering in these hot days of summer- surely no woman is selfish enough for that. Yet the woman who permits her children to run the streets, playing with other children, within a month after recovering from an attack of scarlet fever or scarlatina does that very thing.

It is a well known fact that the most virulent scarlet fever may be incurred from mild scarlatina. The lightness or malignity of the disease depends as much upon the condition of the persons who catch it as upon the nature of the disease itself. Every woman will remember to have heard of cases of scarlet fever in which the child died within a few hours, contracted by association with children who were recovering from mild cases of scarlatina.

There is at present living on Twenty-fourth avenue not far from St. Mary's avenue an intelligent and kindly woman with two children who are recovering from scarlatina. It is three weeks since they contracted the disease. Their skin is still peeling. Yet they are allowed to run about the street in that neighborhood, which is thronged with children, and they have been taken for street car rides. What if this woman, who would not willingly do harm to anyone, were to stand beside the collin holding the child of some friend of hers and hear that woman say:

"This is your work. You did this. You caused this misery. It is you who have broken my heart?"

There is nothing exaggerated, forced nor impossible about this. Such responsibility is every woman liable to bear who shows such reprehensible thoughtlessness. If it be not thoughtlessness, but selfishness, such a woman would be a criminal.

A little girl in my neighborhood was attacked with a light case of scarlatina last winter. The neighborhood swarms with children and it seemed unlikely that they
would escape contagion. But the little girl was kept in her home for six weeks. The other children sent her gifts and friendly messages; her exile was brightened with dainty food, toys and flowers. And when she was released she was entirely recovered in every particular. Not another child in the neighborhood had the
disease. The disease in that locality was stamped out by the good sense, firmness and patience of one woman. She may not have known it, but the other women of the neighborhood certainly appreciated her kindness and endurance- for every mother knows it is no easy thing to keep a child housed for six weeks.

Will not the women of Omaha come to a realization of their responsibilities in this
matter? Can they not practically demonstrate their good citizenship by reporting cases of scarlet fever promptly or insisting that physicians make such reports by
keeping the family quarantined and secluding those having the disease till the
skin is whole? Or do they want a record of death laid to their account? Surely there is not one who would not shrink from such a thing.

A WORD WITH THE WOMEN
(By Ella W. Peattie.)

Forty cases of scarlet fever and six deaths are the result of one woman's carelessness, so says Dr. Towne. There is a terrible fact for a woman to face. But this woman is not exceptional. There are plenty of other women in the city who, from thoughtlessness or ignorance, are laying others open to the danger of incurring a disease by which they may lose their lives. One cannot entertain the idea that these women are selfish, for such selfishness would be ghoulish. To imperil the lives of other women's children, to lay innocent little ones liable to suffering in these hot days of summer- surely no woman is selfish enough for that. Yet the woman who permits her children to run the streets, playing with other children, within a month after recovering from an attack of scarlet fever or scarlatina does that very thing.

It is a well known fact that the most virulent scarlet fever may be incurred from mild scarlatina. The lightness or malignity of the disease depends as much upon the condition of the persons who catch it as upon the nature of the disease itself. Every woman will remember to have heard of cases of scarlet fever in which the child died within a few hours, contracted by association with children who were recovering from mild cases of scarlatina.

There is at present living on Twenty-fourth avenue not far from St. Mary's avenue an intelligent and kindly woman with two children who are recovering from scarlatina. It is three weeks since they contracted the disease. Their skin is still peeling. Yet they are allowed to run about the street in that neighborhood, which is thronged with children, and they have been taken for street car rides. What if this woman, who would not willingly do harm to anyone, were to stand beside the collin holding the child of some friend of hers and hear that woman say:

"This is your work. You did this. You caused this misery. It is you who have broken my heart?"

There is nothing exaggerated, forced nor impossible about this. Such responsibility is every woman liable to bear who shows such reprehensible thoughtlessness. If it be not thoughtlessness, but selfishness, such a woman would be a criminal.

A little girl in my neighborhood was attacked with a light case of scarlatina last winter. The neighborhood swarms with children and it seemed unlikely that they
would escape contagion. But the little girl was kept in her home for six weeks. The other children sent her gifts and friendly messages; her exile was brightened with dainty food, toys and flowers. And when she was released she was entirely recovered in every particular. Not another child in the neighborhood had the
disease. The disease in that locality was stamped out by the good sense, firmness and patience of one woman. She may not have known it, but the other women of the neighborhood certainly appreciated her kindness and endurance- for every mother knows it is no easy thing to keep a child housed for six weeks.

Will not the women of Omaha come to a realization of their responsibilities in this
matter? Can they not practically demonstrate their good citizenship by reporting cases of scarlet fever promptly or insisting that physicians make such reports by
keeping the family quarantined and secluding those having the disease till the
skin is whole? Or do they want a record of death laid to their account? Surely there is not one who would not shrink from such a thing.