The Board of Health Weighed Closing Every School in Seattle

The Board of Health will hold a special meeting tomorrow to consider the question of closing all the schools for a period of thirty or forty days on account of the prevalence of scarlet fever. Should the action be decided upon, it is probable that it will carry with it a clause looking to the disinfection of the school buildings.

Dr. Miller of the board called Health Officer Palmer by telephone late yesterday afternoon and told him he had concluded that notice of a meeting for Monday night, to discuss the proposal to close the schools, had better be given out.

The health officer's reports for several months have shown that scarlet fever was spreading in the city. The last report told of twenty-six cases reported during April, with three deaths. An examination of the city records showed that the disease was not confined to any one district but was generally disseminated. So far this month eleven cases have been reported, with no deaths. It may be that in general the disease has not been of the severest type.

Figuring on the reports for April, it was found that one-third of the cases were either pupils of, or inmates of, a school where several children were infected. The schools affected included Denny, Fremont, Minor, Pacific, Rainier, Central, the State University, the South School and the Ballard school near Woodland Park.

The members of the board were also considerably exercised over the fact that a pupil returned to the Rainier school without having first obtained a certificate from the health officer.

When asked his opinion on the subject, Dr. Miller said: "I regard scarlatina as one of the greatest scourges of the day. No protective measure has yet been discovered that mitigates its ravages or lessens its dissemination. A strict quarantine that is only partial seems useless. The usual avenues of life — children are liable in crowded schools and the usual social mingling — it is seldom conveyed from one to the other in the air, and I think the utility of closing the schools and maintaining as close a quarantine as possible where the disease is known to exist is plain.

"Many cases of scarlet fever or scarlatina have occurred in the city which have not been reported, and only after the local evidences of the disease had disappeared, but had been supplemented by the usual sequelae, such as brain disease, running at the ear, Bright's disease, etc., were they discovered. The laity does not seem to be aware of the true dangers of scarlet fever or scarlatina. On the contrary, people regard both — which in reality are one disease — as harmless. Intelligent mothers of children will do everything in case of sickness for their little ones, but they will also exert their characteristic ingenuity to avoid the possibility of making known the existence of scarlatina in their families. I would say close the schools for a month or six weeks, and deduct the time from the regular vacation."

In closing, the president of the board said he was satisfied the cases reported were only a fraction of those actually in existence.

Dr. Samuel J. Holmes said he would favor closing the schools if it was decided at the meeting that the unusual number of cases was due to the schools. "In fact," he continued, "there are too many cases of scarlet fever in this city for such a step. Then again the figures of the health office do not show the actual number of cases. I realize the gravity of closing the schools at this time of year, when the summer vacation is not far away, but if the facts and figures introduced at the meeting warrant such an action, in my opinion I shall reluctantly vote to close. We are actually hampered in the matter of quarantine because the laws on quarantine are doubtful and the department is not empowered. In fact we are compelled to rely to a great extent on the people themselves in the matter of allowing their children to go out during convalescence."

Dr. Montgomery said he did not think he would be in favor of closing all the schools, but that if the examination proved it wise he would favor closing those schools that were centres for the disease. "In several of the cases of scarlet fever," he said, "I believe it is due to carelessness on the part of parents in allowing their children who have had the disease and recovered from it to go abroad. This is especially so when they have had it in a light form."