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Dr. O.J. Seifert Appears
Before School Board On
Monday Night
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NAME MISS RUEMKE
LINCOLN PRINCIPAL
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Various Other Matters
Taken Care Of
At Regular Session
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Various matters of interest came
up before the Board of Education
Monday evening when the regular
monthly session was called at 7
o'clock in the office of the Superintendent.
Dr. G.B. Weiser, school
physician and Dr. O. J. Seifert, city
health officer, appeared before the
board and advanced their ideas on
the diphtheria question. Miss Lydia
Schilling was released from duties
as teacher in the Lincoln school and
applications were ordered called
for to fill the vacancy. The session
lasted several hours.
School Physician Reports
Dr. Weiser stated before the
board that all of the doctors of
the city were to hold a staff meeting
at the Union hospital in this
city at eight o'clock that evening
and would then decide what to do
in regard to the diphtheria situation.
Children have been attending
school where diphtheria has been
prevalent in the family and where
it had been diagnosed as sore throat
or tonsillitis. While there are only
seven families in the city where the
disease is found it has been deemed
advisable to take action at once
which will prevent an epidemic of
the disease. Dr. Weiser advised immunizing
all children in the city of
school age, there being about 1400.
The treatment for permanent immunization
is harmless and would
not effect the children, but would
protect them against contracting the
disease. A recent survey of 10,000
children in New York showed that
in Shick tests, 75 per cent of the
children were found positive cases.
After the first injection of the toxin
85 per cent were immune, after the
second treatment, 85 per cent more
were found to be immune and with
the third treatment it was found that
over 95 per cent of the children
had been immunized. It was the
school physician's opinion that all
children should be treated immediately
and not wait for the results to
be obtained on the culture tests. It
has been found so often that 75 per
cent of the children are not immune
to the disease that it is only a waste
of time to take the culture tests. He
stated further that the children that
within 10 or 15 years diphtheria
would be wiped out. The disease
affects children between the ages of
5 and 10 years in most cases. Diphtheria
among adults is unusual.
No Need For Alarm
Dr. Seifert stated that there are
only seven families under quarantine
in this city at the present time
and stated that only one case of diphtheria
has been reported in the last
ten days. For this reason he assured
the board that there was no need to
become alarmed over the condition
as he did not consider the present
condition an epidemic. He pointed
out that there were two things to do:
take cultures of all school children
to determine what children are carriers
of the disease. It is possible for
a child to carry the diphtheria germs
in his throat and give the disease to
others while he will not be affected
with it. After the cultures have been
taken, the children found to be carriers
of the disease should be immunized
at once. The second thing
to do is to immunize all children.
However, the health officer looked
at this proposition from an economical
standpoint. If the children are
immunized, who is going to stand
the cost of the same. By placing
the cost of the treatment for 1400
children at a conservatively low
figure, it would incur an expense of
about $500. The serum can be obtained
from the state board at cost
and, physicians would donate their
services. The Municipal building
could be used as headquarters and
children of the city could be brought
there on a day to be determined and
with the aid of three doctors and the
school nurse, 200 children could be
taken care of by each physician in
the course of an hour and a half.
Take Cultures This Week.
Dr. Seifert stated further that it
is possible to have reports on 200
children within a period of 48 hours
after they have been taken. On
Tuesday he took cultures of the pupils
at St. Mary's school and today
(Wednesday) he is taking cultures of
pupils at the Lutheran school.
Doctors Decision
The doctors left the meeting to
attend the staff meeting of all the
doctors in the city at the Union hospital
and later reported that the doctors
had decided to take culture of
the children and immunize the carriers.
Renew Insurance On Boilers
Clerk John Henle reported that
the insurance on the three boilers in
the high school building had expired
October 31, and asked whether or
not the board was desirous of renewing
the policy. On motion it was
decided to renew the policy covering
the two large and one small
boilers in the high school building,
the cost of the policy for a period of
three years being $159.40.
Ask Sign Paving Petition
A. J. Meyer and Ath. Henle
appeared before the board with
a petition for paving State street
from Eight North Street to Seventh
South, a distance of 15 blocks. Two
separate petitions were presented,
one providing curbing and guttering,
so that local contractors could
bid on the job and the other was for
the paving. The City Engineer's figures
on the work placed an estimate
at $260 per lot providing concrete
pavement was decided upon and
$280 per lot in case Asphalt was
used. The board took the position
that they wished to be neutral in the
matter, having made a rule some
time ago not to sign any petitions of
this nature.
Treasurer Herman F. Raabe reported
that the balance of the bank
on November 1, was $968.46.
Miss Rulemke Named Principal
Because of ill health Miss Lydia
Schilling has been unable to fulfill
her contract as teacher of the
5th and 6th grades in the Lincoln
school. Mrs. T. V. Cunningham has
been acting as substitute since the
opening of school and at this time
the board took action on the matter,
calling for applications for the position
vacated by Miss Schilling. Miss
Bertha Ruemke was named principal
of the Lincoln School with an
increase in salary of $25 per year.
She has been acting in that capacity
for the past year and thus far in the
present school term on account of
the illness of Miss Schilling.
Speeding Continues
Supt. Andreen reported that
members of the 5th and 6th grades
in the various schools have been
rotating two persons a day to act
as guides of the kindergarten and'
primary school children at the
street intersections at the time of
dismissal. They are on duty at 8:30
in the morning and at 1 o'clock at
noon. When the children are dismissed
they accompany them to the
street intersection and see that they
cross in safety. It appears that the
speeding on Minnesota and State
street is as bad now as it ever was.
City officials were stationed at the
school sections some weeks ago and
nabbed a few violates. After a few
days they ceased the watch and now
the cars roll by in clouds of dust as
fast, if not faster than ever before.
School Signs Appear
After interviewing the State
Highway Department regarding the
erection of signs along the highways
where the city schools are
located, the district superintendent
R. J. Short of Mankato, was in the
city and the black and yellow signs
appeared on the school grounds located
on the state highways. At the
meeting Monday evening the board
decided so purchase black and white
signs which will be placed on the
school grounds not marked by the
state department. After allowing the
bids. The meeting adjourned.
New Ulm Review
Nov. 3, 1926
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