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Preventable Diseases of Children: Eruptions
Eruptions of any sort demand especially prompt attention. Chronic diseases may be suggested by emaciation; defective vision of one or both eyes; deafness; mouth constantly open; marked odors from the ear, nose, mouth or person; peculiar postures when sitting or walking; frequent requests to go out or to the toilet; pain or swelling, or constant scratching of any part of the body.
The following summary will be found convenient for ready reference:
Symptoms of Fever. - Headache, dullness or sleepiness and indisposition for play or study; languid expression of the eyes; sometimes flushed cheek and other times pallor; heat of skin and increased frequency of pulse, all indicate fever. Take the child's temperature promptly with a clinical thermometer. A normal temperature is between 98° and 99°. Eruptions.-The rash of scarlet fever is of a bright color. It usually appears on the neck and chest spreading thence to the face. A very characteristic symptom is a pale ring about the mouth. There is usually sore throat.
The eruption of measles is a rose or purple red. It occurs in blotches about the size of a pea. It appears first on the face and is associated with running of the nose and eyes.
The eruption of chickenpox appears first as small red pimples which quickly become small red blisters.
Colds and Sore Throat. - Symptoms of a cold in the head with running eyes, sneezing and discharges from the nose and sore throat may mean nothing more than coryza or tonsilitis. But very often they indicate diphtheria, scarlet fever or measles. A thin watery nasal discharge which irritates the nostrils and upper lip indicates diphtheria.
Weak and running eyes indicate measles.
Coughs. A cough may mean a simple cold or slight bronchitis. But a spasmodic cough which occurs in paroxysms and is uncontrollable indicates whooping cough. A croupy cough-harsh and ringing-indicates diphtheria. A painful cough indicates diseases of the lungs, especially pleurisy or pneumonia. A long-continued, hacking cough indicates tuberculosis. Vomiting. This may mean only some digestive disturbance. But it may indicate the onset of diphtheria, smallpox or scarlet fever.