RAMBLINGS

Wednesday was a lost day; nothing accomplished. I waited to 5 pm for the mail which usually comes between 10:30 & 11am.

Since there are no sidewalks on Cushing and the other side of the street is Scotch Plains our mail delivery is by “jeep” to a roadside (rural) box. 

One of the advantages is that outgoing mail is picked up.

Yesterday’s delivery was at 5pm. Our regular mailperson must be on vacation and instead of a relief deliverer the route is split into two and given to other carriers for after they finish their normal routes. Today there was no delivery. In the over 40 years that I have lived here, there never was a day that I did not receive at least some third class mail.

Thursday is of course another day, and I can hope that the four letters I expect are delivered in the morning.

With the weather predictions for the next five days indicating the coldest days of the winter, and possibility of some snow Thursday and Saturday with a coastal storm on Sunday night into Monday the roads and walks will be treacherous. I would hope that Council has already prepared an alternate meeting date if Monday is too much of a mess.

The present measles outbreak merits a dedicated blog and most likely I will post one either late Thursday or Friday am. There are only a few still living who remember how bad the contagious disease were. Prior to WWII many hospitals including Muhlenberg had separate buildings with a small number of beds for contagious diseases.

In the 60s I often remarked that I would hate to see the first case of diphtheria in Plainfield because I and every other doctor would miss it as just “tonsillitis”. I had not seen one since the early 40s. 

This outbreak reminded me of one diagnosis I was most proud of. In early 1944 I was, for about two months before the army decided that I would like to fly even if there were no engines,stationed at Finney General Hospital at Thomasville Ga. 

One night I was sent out with an ambulance to pick up a sick solider in   rural Georgia. The House had no electricity on kerosene lamps for light. The soldier whose skin was jet black had a high fever. Before I moved him I had to examine him and thought I noticed a rash so I informed him and the family he had measles which he did. Often because of skin pigmentation in African Americans the rash could be difficult to see even in daylight.

The treatment in those days was of course only symptomatic and supportive.