woman's own MOTHER AND CHILD SERVICE conducted by RUTH MARTIN SPOTS-the warning signal.
It is very disconcerting to undress a child and find he has a rash. . . especially if there was no trace of it earlier in the day. But, however worried you may be, never rush the child round to the doctor. If the complaint is infectious, he may pass it on to other people in the surgery; and if he has a temperature he shouldn't be out of doors. but in bed.
Spots, however, aren't serious in themselves, and usually the diseases they represent aren't, either. It is the possible complications which are the trouble.
Take measles, for instance. This disease will not usually cause any trouble as long as the patient is carefully nursed both in the initial stages and during convalescence.
But if little Johnny is allowed to get up too soon, even if he does seem better, then he could well get bronchitis, pneumonia, or ear complaints, for these are all common complications of measles-just as they are of most other infectious diseases of childhood.
German measles, more correctly called rubella, is not just a mild form of ordinary measles. It isn't serious: in fact, a child may have it without being more than very slightly off colour.
The only time rubella is dangerous is when it attacks an expectant mother during the early months of pregnancy, It isn't dangerous to her, but may cause various deformities in the developing baby,
So it is a good idea to expose little girls to rubella; the complaint causes so little inconvenience, and one attack provides immunity for life.
How to tell the difference
Way back in the last century a man named Koplick discovered that most children with measles develop certain spots in their cheeks, up against the back teeth, a day or two before any rash appears on the body.
These minute white spots are surrounded by red rings, and are so small they are only just visible by daylight, and altogether invisible by artificial light. But if you find them you may be sure the typical measles rash will appear very soon.
This rash usually occurs on the fourth day after the onset of measles, and at the same time the temperature may shoot right up to 103 or 104 degrees.
The spots will appear first behind the ears, just like deep red pin-points. Almost at once they spread over the face and body, getting darker and bigger,
There are probably catarrhal symptoms in the very early stages as well.
With rubella the rash is often the first, and perhaps the only, sign, This follows the same pattern as the measles rash, but the spots are smaller and lighter in colour, And there may be no catarrhal symptoms,
Chicken pox is very easy to diagnose, Small, red, raised spots are typical of this particular disease; they increase rapidly in number, and turn into little blisters, Usually they appear first of all on the trunk, face or head,
Not all spots are caused by germs
DON'T imagine that all rashes are infectious! Certain unaccustomed foods may easily produce the most alarming spots, Nettlerash is another common complaint, and a very bad patch of insect bites may look infectious to an untrained eye.
Don't take. chances, Your doctor is the person to make the diagnosis, However, if you would like a free leaflet telling you where on the body the rashes of various infectious diseases usually appear first, and giving the isolation periods required, just send a stamped, addressed envelope to me at the address on page 3.
. Ruth Martin, who writes the important article on this page, also conducts our Woman-to-Woman Service. Write to her with any problem, or to join the service, at the address on page 3. enclosing a stamped addressed envelope
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'Have a, Martini', he said. 'Just by itself', I said. 'In a big glass', he said. 'With ice', I said. And that started it all!
Better drink MARTINI Sweet or Dry, or Bianco
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