MEASLES 233 



Second attacks of measles are comparatively rare, 

 even more so than second attacks of smallpox or 

 of scarlet fever. The apparent exemption of adults 

 from attacks of measles is largely if not altogether 

 due to the fact that they have usually suffered an 

 attack during childhood. It has been noticed that 

 regiments of soldiers recruited in cities are less sub- 

 ject to measles than regiments raised in rural districts. 

 This is no doubt due to the greater prevalence of the 

 disease among children in cities, where few escape 

 attack during infancy or the age of going to school. 



During a severe epidemic in the Faroe Islands in 

 1 846 scarcely any one escaped except those old enough 

 to have passed through the previous epidemic in 1 781. 



German measles (Rubella) is a distinct disease 

 from measles, but its specific character was not gen- 

 erally recognised by physicians until the last half of 

 the nineteenth century. An attack of this disease 

 does not protect the child from the far more danger- 

 ous disease, measles. 



The mortality from German measles is practically nil. 

 Its prevention is therefore of much less importance, 

 but is to be effected by the same measures, viz.: isola- 

 tion of the sick and disinfection of all clothing and other 

 objects which have been exposed in the sick-room. 

 The period of incubation in this disease is quite 

 variable, but as a rule it is longer than that of measles. 



