Carlisle Patriot 23 April 1880 23 April 1880 Concealment of Scarlet Fever

23 April 1880 Concealment of Scarlet Fever

Yesterday afternoon, Dr. ELLIOT, coroner, held an inquest in the  Charlotte Street Schoolroom, as to the death of Thomas LANCASTER, a boy of seven  years. Margaret LANCASTER, the mother of the deceased, said her husband was a   stonemason, and they had six children living. Three of them had the fever -  Thomas, the deceased, Mary, aged nine years, for four days last week; and  George, aged five years, who was confined to bed Monday to Saturday. The two boys both had a red rash on their skin for three or four days, and   Thomas and Mary both had a sore throat. No medical man saw any of the children   in their illness Witness was asked why this was? She replied that the boy had a  great deal of dread about being taken away; he had seen a child called PAISLEY  taken off in a cab (probably the Hospital Ambulance), so she sent for no doctor.  It was, she said, her idea, that if a doctor came the child might be taken away  by force. Her husband offered to bring a doctor if she wished and if she saw any  danger. Last night about midnight, she saw Thomas getting worse. He complained of   pain in his inside. They applied hot flannels, and gave him rice and milk,   barley and milk, and a little port wine. She poulticed his throat. She noticed   yellow matter escaping from both ears. At one time it gave him pain to  swallow. The rash came out on the boy on the 2nd April. He and his sister both   attended Caldewgate Board School. One of the scarlet fever patients was John   FORSYTH, aged four years. But he got well; he did not go to the Fever Hospital.  Her two eldest children had had scarlet fever, and had been attended at Wigton   by Dr. MITCHELL; this was some eight or nine years ago; both got well. Mary Ann WILSON, the next door neighbour, said the deceased was never well;   she had known him under the dispensary doctor, probably in November last. She   had a nephew, four years old, who had scarlet fever two months ago. He remained  at her house, where he was attended by the Dispensary doctor, and got well. He  had a quart of milk a day. The Coroner, in summing up, mentioned the discovery which had been made   simultaneously in this town and by Dr. SQUIRE of London, showing that for fully   nine weeks from the appearance of the rash a scarlet fever patient can   communicate the infection to those who have not had it. The jury returned a verdict of “Death from natural causes,” to which they   added the expression of their regret that medical advice had not been sought,   and recommended that the body be removed to the Public Mortuary and the house   disinfected.

 

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