The Greenbelt Cooperator column “Our Neighbors” reported in January 1941 that a young girl, eagerly awaiting the celebration of her fifth birthday – invitations sent, favors acquired, a cake with pink candles in the works – had the misfortune to contract scarlet fever a few days before the big event. About a week after she contracted the disease, the girl’s younger sister also fell ill. Scarlet fever, the column said, “is a very inconsiderate malady.”
Sometimes, a look back can also be a look around. The current global health crisis is a haunting reminder of some of the contagious illnesses that descended upon Greenbelt in the past. One of the more colorful – pardon the pun – illnesses that made local and national headlines was scarlet fever, which causes a distinctive red-pink rash, hence the “scarlet.” The city’s public health director at the time, Dr. Samuel Berenberg, said scarlet fever was more common in the spring and winter months and more prevalent in the north, possibly because the southern sun killed the germs and helped control the spread of illness. By February 1941 Greenbelt had reached “epidemic proportions of scarlet fever for a town its size.”
About two years earlier, the city established a Department of Public Health to address not only the spread of communicable diseases, but citizens’ health concerns in general. Staff at the department included a health officer authorized to “eradicate health nuisances, supervise maternal and child welfare, vaccinations, school health hazards, and quarantine.”
During the rise of scarlet fever and other communicable diseases in Maryland, public health laws were in force to make certain that cases were reported. Failure to report contagious illnesses could result in a fine of up to $100. Greenbelt also had local regulations in place. Written in conformance with Maryland state health laws, the local ordinance authorized quarantine for communicable diseases, made notification obligatory and established provisions for enforcement. For example, failure to report a contagious illness could result in a fine anywhere from $2 up to $50. The Department of Public Health, Berenberg said, “has been loathe to enforce such penalties, but has striven to educate all those whose neglect has been brought to its attention.” He suspected one of the reasons that people might be hesitant to report cases of contagious diseases was the embarrassment of having a quarantine sign affixed to their door. In fact, he stated that there were cases the department learned about only after the need for quarantine had passed.
Berenberg believed it was necessary to remind citizens that there comes a time “when public safety, the good of the whole community, must be protected by penalizing those who do not live up to the responsibilities of citizenship.” He emphasized that citizens had in their hands the power to arrest the spread of contagious diseases through a willingness to help.
During his tenure as director, Berenberg instructed citizens on what he referred to as common sense methods of remaining healthy during communicable disease outbreaks. “When we are tired, run-down, not eating properly, not getting enough sleep, fresh air and outdoor exercise,” he said, “we are easy prey for disease germs of all kinds. It is wise to stay away from people who have colds and influenza and from crowded places”. This last recommendation may be recognizable today as social distancing or physical distancing, which has created a temporary new normal in Greenbelt and other cities, rural communities and in countries around the world, as it did years ago with scarlet fever and other contagious illnesses.
There is no vaccine for scarlet fever, which is not caused by a virus but by a bacterial infection often associated with streptococcus infections or strep throat. The widespread use of antibiotics and steadily improving hygiene were likely the reasons for the decline of the disease. In March 1945, the Greenbelt Cooperator reported that scarlet fever was nearly gone and no cases were under quarantine in the town. That young girl, probably disheartened by the cancellation of her birthday celebration, was hopefully able to celebrate the big day once the epidemic faded away.
Material for this story was drawn from Greenbelt Cooperator issues from 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941 and 1945. Greenbelt News Reviews and its Cooperator predecessor publications are searchable online at GreenbeltNewsReview.com (1937 through today). The Greenbelt Archive Project website (greenbeltarchive.org) contains additional information.