See also:

• MEASLES (Morbilli, Rubeola; the M. E. word is maseles, properly a diminutive of a word meaning " spot," O.H.G. m¢sa, cf. " mazer "; the equivalent is Ger. Masern; Fr. Rougeole)

MEASLES (Morbilli, Rubeola; the M. E. word is maseles, properly a diminutive of a word meaning " spot," O.H.G. m¢sa, cf. " See also:

• MAZER

mazer "; the See also:

• EQUIVALENT

equivalent is Ger. Masern; Fr. Rougeole)  , an acute infectious disease occurring mostly in See also:

• CHILDREN, LAW RELATING TO

children . It is mentioned in the writings of Rhazes and others of the Arabian physicians in the loth See also:

• CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century . For See also:

• LONG, GEORGE (1800-1879)
• LONG, JOHN DAVIS (1838– )

long, however, it was held to be a variety of small-pox . After the non-identity of these two diseases had been established, See also:

• MEASLES, (Morbilli, Rubeola; the M. E. word is maseles, properly a diminutive of a word meaning " spot," O.H.G. m¢sa, cf. " mazer "; the equivalent is Ger. Masern; Fr. Rougeole)

measles and See also:

• SCARLET

scarlet-See also:

• FEVER (Lat. febris, connected with fervere, to burn)

fever continued to be confounded with each other; and in the See also:

• ACCOUNT
• ACCOUNT (through O. Fr. acont, Late Lat. comptum, cornputare, to calculate)

account given by See also:

• THOMAS
• THOMAS (c. 1654-1720)
• THOMAS (d. 110o)
• THOMAS, ARTHUR GORING (1850-1892)
• THOMAS, CHARLES LOUIS AMBROISE (1811-1896)
• THOMAS, GEORGE (c. 1756-1802)
• THOMAS, GEORGE HENRY (1816-187o)
• THOMAS, ISAIAH (1749-1831)
• THOMAS, PIERRE (1634-1698)
• THOMAS, SIDNEY GILCHRIST (1850-1885)
• THOMAS, ST
• THOMAS, THEODORE (1835-1905)
• THOMAS, WILLIAM (d. 1554)

Thomas See also:

• SYDENHAM
• SYDENHAM, CHARLES EDWARD
• SYDENHAM, THOMAS (1624-1689)

Sydenham of epidemics of measles in See also:

• LONDON

London in 167o and 1674 it is evident that even that accurate observer had not as yet clearly perceived their pathological distinction, although it would seem to have been made a century earlier by Giovanni Filippo Ingrassias (1510-158o), a physician of See also:

• PALERMO (Greek, Havopuos; Latin, Panhormus, Panormus)

Palermo . The specific micro-organism responsible for measles has not been definitely isolated . Its progress is marked by several stages more or less sharply defined . After the reception of the contagion into the See also:

• SYSTEM

system, there follows a See also:

• PERIOD
• PERIOD (Gr. irepioSos, a going or way round, circuit, aepi, round, and &Sis, way, road)

period of See also:

• INCUBATION

incubation or latency during which scarcely any disturbance of the See also:

• HEALTH

health is perceptible . This period generally lasts for from ten to fourteen days, when it is followed by the invasion of the symptoms specially characteristic of measles . These consist in the somewhat sudden onset of acute See also:

• CATARRH (from the Gr. Karappeiv, to flow down)

catarrh of the mucous membranes . At this See also:

• STAGE (Fr. 6/age; from Lat. stare, to stand)

stage See also:

• MINUTE
• MINUTE (Lat. minutes, small; minuere, to make less)

minute See also:

• WHITE
• WHITE, ANDREW DICKSON (1832– )
• WHITE, GILBERT (1720–1793)
• WHITE, HENRY KIRKE (1785-1806)
• WHITE, HUGH LAWSON (1773-1840)
• WHITE, JOSEPH BLANCO (1775-1841)
• WHITE, RICHARD GRANT (1822-1885)
• WHITE, ROBERT (1645-1704)
• WHITE, SIR GEORGE STUART (1835– )
• WHITE, SIR THOMAS (1492-1567)
• WHITE, SIR WILLIAM ARTHUR (1824--1891)
• WHITE, SIR WILLIAM HENRY (1845– )
• WHITE, THOMAS (1628-1698)
• WHITE, THOMAS (c. 1550-1624)

white spots in the buccal mucous membrane frequently occur; when they do, they are diagnostic of the disease . See also:

• SNEEZING (0. Eng. fneosung, from fneosan, to sneeze, cf. Dutch fniezen, allied to the obsolete neeze, and ultimately to be referred to root seen in Gr. irveiv, to breathe; the initial s is due to association with numerous words, such as snort, snuff, snor

Sneezing, accompanied with a watery See also:

• DISCHARGE (adapted from the O. Fr. discharge, modern decharge, from a med. Lat. discargare, to unload, dis- and earn care, to load, cf. " charge ")

discharge, sometimes bleeding, from the See also:

• NOSE (O.Eng. nosu, cf. Dutch neus, Swed. nos, snout; the Aix in Provence. Both at Aix and at Lyons he acquired great connexion with O.Eng. nasu is obscure, cf. Ger. Nase, Lat. pares, distinction by his labours during outbreaks of the plague. In nostrils,

nose, redness and watering of the eyes, cough of a See also:

• SHORT, FRANCIS JOB (1857– )

short, frequent, and noisy See also:

• CHARACTER (Gr. xapareri7p, from xap&crew, to scratch)

character, with little or no expectoration, hoarseness of the See also:

• VOICE (Fr. voix, from Lat. vox)

voice, and occasionally sickness and See also:

• DIARRHOEA (from Gr. &Q, through, pfw, flow)

diarrhoea, are the See also:

• CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

chief See also:

• LOCAL

local phenomena of this stage . With these there is well-marked febrile disturbance, the temperature being elevated (102°—104° F.), and the See also:

• PULSE

pulse rapid, while headache, thirst, and restlessness are usually See also:

• PRESENT

present .

In some instances, these initial yxnptoms are slight, and the See also:

• CHILD
• CHILD, FRANCIS JAMES (1825-1896)
• CHILD, L
• CHILD, LYDIA MARIA (1802-1880)
• CHILD, SIR FRANCIS (1642-1713)
• CHILD, SIR JOHN (d. 1690)
• CHILD, SIR JOSIAH (163o - 1699)

child is allowed to See also:

• ASSOCIATE (Lat. associates, from ad, to, and sociare to join)

associate with others at a See also:

• TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
• TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
• TIME, STANDARD

time when, as will be afterwards seen, the contagion of the disease is most active . In rare cases, especially in See also:

• YOUNG
• YOUNG, A
• YOUNG, ARTHUR (1741-1820)
• YOUNG, BRIGHAM (1801-1877)
• YOUNG, CHARLES MAYNE (1777–1856)
• YOUNG, EDWARD (1683–1765)
• YOUNG, JAMES (1811-1883)
• YOUNG, THOMAS (1773-1829)

young children, See also:

• CONVULSIONS

convulsions See also:

• USHER (O. Fr. ussier, uissier, mod. huissier, from Lat. ostiarius, a door-keeper, ostium, doorway, entrance, os, mouth)
• USHER (or USSHER), JAMES (1581-1656)

usher in, or occur in the course of, this stage of invasion, which lasts as a See also:

• RULE

rule for four or five days, the febrile symptoms, however, showing some tendency to undergo See also:

• ABATEMENT (derived through the French abattre, from the Late Latin battere, to beat)

abatement after the second See also:

• DAY (O. Eng. dreg, Ger. Tag; according to the New English Dictionary, " in no way related to the Lat. dies")
• DAY, JOHN (1574-1640?)
• DAY, THOMAS (1748-1789)

day . On the See also:

• FOURTH

fourth or fifth day after the invasion, sometimes later, rarely earlier, the characteristic eruption appears on the skin, being first noticed on the brow, cheeks, See also:

• CHIN

chin, also behind the ears, and on the See also:

• NECK (O. Eng. hnecca; the word appears in many Teutonic languages; cf. Dutch ride, Ger. Nacken; in O. E. the common word was heals; cf. Ger. Hals)

neck . It consists of small spots of a dusky red or See also:

• CRIMSON

crimson See also:

• COLOUR (Lat. color, connected with celare, to hide, the root meaning, therefore, being that of a covering)

colour, just like See also:

• FLEA (O. Eng. fleah, or flea, cognate with flee, to run away from, to take flight)

flea-bites, slightly elevated move the See also:

• SURFACE

surface, at first isolated, but tending to become grouped into patches of irregular, occasionally crescentic, outline, with portions of skin See also:

• FREE

free from the eruption intervening . The See also:

• FACE (from Lat. fades, derived either from facere, to make, or from a root fa-, meaning " appear "; cf. Gr. cbatvstv)

face acquires a swollen and bloated See also:

• APPEARANCE (from Lat. apparere, to appear)

appearance, which, taken with the catarrh of the nostrils and eyes, is almost characteristic, and renders the diagnosis at this stage a See also:

• MATTER

matter of no difficulty . The eruption spreads downwards over the See also:

• BODY

body and limbs, which are soon thickly studded with the red spots or patches . Sometimes these become confluent over a considerable surface . The rash continues to come out for two or three days, and then begins to fade in the See also:

• ORDER
• ORDER (through Fr. ordre, for earlier ordene, from Lat. ordo, ordinis, rank, service, arrangement; the ultimate source is generally taken to be the root seen in Lat. oriri, rise, arise, begin; cf. " origin ")
• ORDER, HOLY

order in which it first showed itself, namely from above downwards . By the end of about a See also:

• WEEK (from A.S. wicu, Germanic *wikon, probably=change, turn)

week after its first appearance scarcely any trace of the eruption remains beyond a faint staining of the skin . Usually during convalescence slight peeling of the epidermis takes See also:

• PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place, but much less distinctly than is the See also:

• CASE
• CASE, JOHN (d. 1600)

case in scarlet fever . At the commencement of the eruptive stage the fever, catarrh, and other constitutional disturbance, which were present from the beginning, become aggravated, the temperature often rising to 105° or more, and there is headache, thirst, furred See also:

• TONGUE (O. Eng. lunge)

tongue, and soreness of the See also:

• THROAT (O. Eng. protu, prote or }Prota, possibly from preotan, to press, whence threat, or, with loss of initial s, connected with strut, to swell)

throat, upon which red patches similar to those on the surface of the body may be observed . These symptoms usually decline as soon as the rash has attained its maximum, and often there occurs a sudden and extensive fall of temperature, indicating that the crisis of the disease has been reached .

In favourable cases convalescence proceeds rapidly, the patient feeling perfectly well even before the rash has faded from the skin . Measles may, however, occur in a very See also:

• MALIGNANT (Lat. malignus, evil-disposed, from maligenus)

malignant See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form, in which the symptoms throughout are of urgent character, the rash but feebly See also:

• DEVELOPED

developed, and of dark See also:

• PURPLE

purple See also:

• HUE

hue, while there is See also:

• GREAT

great prostration, accompanied with intense catarrh of the See also:

• RESPIRATORY

respiratory or gastro-intestinal mucous membrane . Such cases are rare, occurring mostly in circumstances of See also:

• BAD, BCD

bad See also:

• HYGIENE (Fr. hygiene, from Gr. ir'taivety, to be healthy)

hygiene, both as regards the individual and his surroundings . On the other See also:

• HAND
• HAND (a word common to Teutonic languages; cf. Ger. Hand, Goth. handus)
• HAND, FERDINAND GOTTHELF (1786-185r)

hand, cases of measles are often of so mild a form through-out that the patient can scarcely be persuaded to submit to treatment . Measles as a disease derives its chief importance from the See also:

• RISK

risk, by no means slight, of certain complications which are See also:

• APT

apt to arise during its course, more especially inflammatory affections of the respiratory See also:

• ORGANS

organs . These are most liable to occur in the colder seasons of the See also:

• YEAR

year and in very young and delicate children . It has been already stated that irritation of the respiratory passages is one of the symptoms characteristic of measles, but that this subsides with the decline of the eruption . Not unfrequently, however, these symptoms, instead of abating, become aggravated, and See also:

• BRONCHITIS

bronchitis of the capillary form (see BRONCHITIS), or See also:

• PNEUMONIA (Gr. ?rveu AMP, lung)

pneumonia, generally of the diffuse or lobular variety (see PNEUMONIA), supervene . By far the greater proportion of the mortality in measles is due to its complications, of which those just mentioned are the most See also:

• COMMON

common, but which also include inflammatory affections of the larynx, with attacks resembling See also:

• CROUP

croup, and also diarrhoea assuming a dysenteric character . Or there may remain as See also:

• DIRECT

direct results of the disease chronic ophthalmia, or discharge from the ears with deafness, and occasionally a form of See also:

• GANGRENE (from Gr. y&yypawa, an eating sore, from ypaivewv, to gnaw)

gangrene affecting the tissues of the mouth or cheeks and other parts of the body, leading to disfigurement and gravely endangering See also:

• LIFE

life . Apart from those immediate risks there appears to be a tendency in many cases for the disease to leave behind a weakened and vulnerable See also:

• CONDITION (Lat. condicio, from condicere, to agree upon, arrange; not connected with conditio, from condere, conditum, to put together)

condition of the See also:

• GENERAL
• GENERAL (Lat. generalis, of or relating to a genus, kind or class)

general health, which may renderchildren, previously robust, delicate and liable to See also:

• CHEST (Gr. Kiarl, Lat. cista, O. Eng. cist, test, &c.)

chest complaints, and is in not a few instances the precursor of some of those tubercular affections to which the period of childhood and youth is liable . These various effects or sequelae of measles indicate that although in itself a comparatively mild ailment, it should not be regarded with indifference .

Indeed it is doubtful whether any other disease of See also:

• EARLY
• EARLY, JUBAL ANDERSON (1816-1894)

early life demands more careful watching as to its See also:

• INFLUENCE (Late Lat. influentia, from influere, to flow in)

influence on the health . Happily many of those attending evils may by proper management be averted . Measles is a disease of the earlier years of childhood . Like other infectious maladies, it is admittedly rare, though not unknown, in nurslings or infants under six months old . It is comparatively seldom met with in adults, but this is due to the fact that most persons have undergone an attack in early life . Where this has not been the case, the old suffer equally with the young . All races of men appear liable to this disease, provided that which constitutes the essential See also:

• FACTOR (from Lat. facere, to make or do)

factor in its origin and spread exists, namely, contagion . Some countries enjoy long See also:

• IMMUNITY (from Lat. immunis, not subject to a munus or public service)

immunity from outbreaks of measles, but it has frequently been found in such cases that when the contagion has once been introduced the disease extends with great rapidity and virulence . This was shown by the epidemic in the Faroe Islands in 1846, where, within six months after the arrival of a single case of measles, more than three-fourths of the entire See also:

• POPULATION (Lat. populus, people; populare, to populate)

population were attacked and many perished; and the similarly produced and still more destructive outbreak in See also:

• FIJI
• FIJI (Viii)

Fiji in 1875, in which it was estimated that about one-fourth of the inhabitants died from the disease in about three months . In both these cases the great mortality was due to the complications of the malady, specially induced by overcrowding, insanitary surroundings, the See also:

• ABSENCE (Lat. absentia)

absence of proper nourishment and See also:

• NURSING

nursing for the sick, and the utter prostration and terror of the See also:

• PEOPLE

people, and to the disease being specially malignant, occurring on what might be termed virgin See also:

• SOIL

soil.' It may be regarded as an invariable rule that the first epidemic of any disease in a community is specially virulent, each successive attack conferring a certain immunity . Ip many lands, such as the See also:

• UNITED

United See also:

• KINGDOM

Kingdom, measles is rarely absent, especially from large centres of population, where sporadic cases are found at all seasons . Every now and then epidemics arise from the See also:

• EXTENSION (Lat. ex, out ; tendere, to stretch)

extension of the disease among those members of a community who have not been in some measure protected by a previous attack .

There are few diseases so contagious as measles, and its rapid spread in epidemic outbreaks is no doubt due to the well-ascertained fact that contagion is most potent in the earlier stages, even before its real nature has been evinced by the characteristic appearances on the skin . Hence the difficulty of timely See also:

• ISOLATION

isolation, and the readiness with which the disease is spread in See also:

• SCHOOLS

schools and families . The contagion is present in the skin and the various secretions . While the contagion is generally direct, it can also be conveyed by the particles from the nose and mouth which, after being expelled, become dry and are conveyed as dust on clothes, toys, &c . Fortunately the germs of measles do not retain their virulence long under such conditions, comparing favourably with those of some other diseases . Treatment.—The treatment embraces the preventive See also:

• MEASURES

measures to be adopted by the isolation of the sick at as early a period as possible . Epidemics have often, especially in limited localities, been curtailed by such a precaution . In families with little See also:

• HOUSE
• HOUSE (O. Eng. hiss, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dut. huis, Ger. Haus; in Gothic it is only found in gudhiss, a temple; it may be ultimately connected with the root of " hide," conceal)

house See also:

• ACCOMMODATION (Lat. accommodare, to make fit, from ad, to, cum, with, and modus, measure)

accommodation this measure is frequently, for the See also:

• REASON (Lat. ratio, through French raison)

reason given regarding the communicable period of the disease, ineffectual; nevertheless where practicable it ought to be tried . The unaffected children should be kept from school for a time (probably about three See also:

• WEEKS, EDWIN LORD (1849-1903)

weeks from the outbreak in the See also:

• FAMILY

family would suffice if no other case occur in the See also:

• INTERVAL

interval), and all clothing in contact with the patient or nurses should be disinfected . In extensive epidemics it is often desirable to See also:

• CLOSE
• CLOSE (from Lat. clausum, shut)
• CLOSE, MAXWELL HENRY (1822-1903)

close the schools for a time . As regards See also:

• SPECIAL

special treatment, in an See also:

• ORDINARY (med. Lat. ordinarius, Fr. ordinaire)

ordinary case of measles little is required beyond what is necessary in febrile conditions generally . Confinement to See also:

• BED
• BED (a common Teutonic word, cf. German Bett, probably connected with the Indo-European root bhodh, seen in the Lat. fodere, to dig; so " a dug-out place " for safe resting, or in the same sense as a garden " bed ")

bed in a somewhat darkened See also:

• ROOM

room, into which, however, See also:

• AIR (from an Indo-European root meaning " breathe," " blow ")
• AIR, or ASBEN

air is freely 1 Transactions of the Epidemiological Society (London, 1879) .

admitted; See also:

• LIGHT

light, nourishing, liquid See also:

• DIET

diet (soups, See also:

• MILK (0. Eng. meoluc; from a common Indo-European root, cf. Lat. mulgere, Gr. ?t dXyetv)

milk, &c.), See also:

• WATER

water almost ad See also:

• LIB

lib. to drink, and mild diaphoretic remedies such as the acetate of See also:

• AMMONIA (NH3)

ammonia or See also:

• IPECACUANHA

ipecacuanha, are all that is necessary in the febrile stage . When the fever is very severe, sponging the body generally or the chest and arms affords See also:

• RELIEF

relief . The serious chest complications of measles are to be dealt with by those measures applicable for the relief of the particular symptoms (see BRONCHITIS; PNEUMONIA) . The preparations of ammonia are of special efficacy . During convalescence the patient must be guarded from exposure to See also:

• COLD (in O. Eng. cald and ceald, a word coming ultimately from a root cognate with the Lat. gelu, gelidus, and common in the Teutonic languages, which usually have two distinct forms for the substantive and the adjective, cf. Ger. Kolte, kalt, Dutch koude

cold, and for a time after recovery the See also:

• STATE
• STATE, GREAT OFFICERS OF

state of the health ought to be watched with a view of averting the evils, both local and constitutional, which too often follow this disease . " See also:

• GERMAN
• GERMAN, DUTCH AND SCANDINAVIAN

German measles " (Rotheln, or Epidemic Roseola) is a See also:

• TERM

term applied to a contagious eruptive disorder having certain points of resemblance to measles, and also to scarlet fever, but exhibiting its distinct individuality in the fact that it protects from neither of these diseases . It occurs most commonly in children, but frequently in adults also, and is occasionally seen in extensive epidemics . Beyond confinement to the house in the eruptive stage, which, from the slight symptoms experienced. is often difficult of accomplishment, no special treatment is called for . There is little doubt that the disease is often mistaken for true measles, and many of the alleged second attacks of the latter malady are probably cases of rotheln . The chief points of difference are the following: (I) The absence of distinct premonitory symptoms, the stage of invasion, which in measles is usually of four days' duration, and accompanied with well-marked fever and catarrh, being in rotheln either wholly absent or exceedingly slight, enduring only for one day . (2) The eruption of rotheln, which, although as regards its locality and manner of progress similar to measles, differs somewhat in its appearance, the spots being of smaller See also:

• SIZE

size, paler colour, and with less tendency to grouping in crescentic patches . The rash attains its maximum in about one day, and quickly disappears .

There is not the same increase of temperature in this stage as in measles . (3) The presence of white spots on the buccal mucous membrane, in the case of measles . (4) The milder character of the symptoms of rotheln throughout its whole course, and the absence of complications and of liability to subsequent impairment of health such as have been seen to appertain to measles .