The Dangerous Habit of Ignoring Contagion
An 1886 editorial warns Seattle residents against the 'criminal' practice of visiting neighbors and public schools while carrying the germs of diphtheria and scarlet fever.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A pernicious habit with many persons is that of paying visits to persons ill with infectious diseases and then sallying forth to make calls, and some even go so far as to go from the bedside of the sick to the public school or the Sunday school. Such conduct on the part of an intelligent person is injurious and, on the part of an ignorant one, highly culpable. If a person's services are required in nursing, it is another thing, and it requires in most cases a high degree of devotion and courage, and always a most commendable spirit, for one to volunteer in such service, which is often sorely needed; but the beauty of such kindness is spoiled if the greatest care and discretion are not exercised by the nurse in his or her movement with other people during the period of intercourse with the sick. Belief in one's own immunity from infection is unquestionably a strong safeguard, but it affords no safety whatever to others to whom the infection may be conveyed. Howsoever small or little the 'providence' of the disease may have to do with the health or ill-health of human beings, it is an undeniable fact that 'the Gods take care of them who take the best care of themselves,' as well as help those who help themselves. In any case, is it not the part of wisdom and of common sense—aye, virtue most precious and rare—to err on the side of too much care?
“The beauty of such kindness is spoiled if the greatest care and discretion are not exercised by the nurse in his or her movement with other people during the period of intercourse with the sick.”
This 1886 editorial captures the timeless tension between individual liberty and public health, rhyming sharply with the debates surrounding social distancing and mask-wearing during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. It serves as a reminder that Seattle's struggles with infectious disease management are as old as the city's development.
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