172 THE INVISIBLE WOULD 



The fever comes in two forms, the milder and 

 the more severe. These are, no doubt, attributable 

 to two varieties of the microbe, the one causing 

 the milder, the other the more virulent. The 

 milder form scarcely ever proves fatal ; the severer 

 proves fatal in more than a third of the cases. 

 Death frequently comes suddenly. The patient 

 may be seemingly comfortable to within an hour 

 of death. 



Scarlet fever, therefore, in any case is fright- 

 ful. No one knows what an hour may bring forth. 

 At the onset a doctor should be called to watch 

 the progress of the disease. He may notice what 

 others do not. If up-to-date, he will offer no 

 drastic drugs, but only advise in regard to the gen- 

 eral nursing and care of the case. He cannot ad- 

 minister a cure because the antitoxine to counter- 

 act the scarlet fever poison has not yet been dis- 

 covered. This cure is the hope of the future. 

 When it comes, the physician will be armed with a 

 weapon with which to defeat the foe, and to enable 

 the patient, it is hoped, in every case to recover. 



Until then, and afterwards too, prevention 

 should be the watchword. Eigidly quarantine 

 every case. Let no one but doctor and nurse enter 

 the sickroom. Disinfect and kill all germs as 

 promptly as possible. The germs have great 

 vitality. They may live in furniture, clothing, or 

 other lurking places for years. Kill them on the 

 spot. 



Scarlet fever is frequently communicated by in- 



