Measles
by William Colby Rucker · English · Gutenberg #19965 · 35,539 chars · public domain (US)
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Measles
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online
at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States,
you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located
before using this eBook.
Title: Measles
Author: William Colby Rucker
Release date: November 29, 2006 [eBook #19965]
Most recently updated: June 26, 2020
Language: English
Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19965
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MEASLES ***
UNITED STATES PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE
MEASLES
By
W. C. RUCKER
_Assistant Surgeon General, United States Public Health Service_
------------------
SUPPLEMENT NO. 1
TO THE
PUBLIC HEALTH REPORTS
JANUARY 24, 1913
[EDITION OF JUNE, 1916]
WASHINGTON
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
1916
MEASLES.
By W. C. RUCKER, Assistant Surgeon General, United States Public Health
Service.
Over 11,000 American children died of measles in the year 1910. This did
not include a large number who died of broncho-pneumonia, a great number
of cases of which, in children, are caused by measles. Sixty-eight and
two-tenths per cent of all deaths from broncho-pneumonia occur in children
under 5 years of age, a time of life when measles is most apt to occur.
But the story of the ravages of this disease is not complete without the
mention of the large number of cases of tuberculosis which follow an
attack of it. Less frequently inflammation of the ear or the eye may be
left behind as a mark of a visitation of this common disease. From a
public health standpoint, then, measles is a disease of prime importance.
Long association with a disease breeds a contempt for it, and measles, in
common with the other diseases of childhood, has come to be looked upon as
an unavoidable accompaniment of youth.
Each autumn when school opens there is an increase in the number of cases
of measles, and as the season progresses they gradually increase, and
winter frequently sees the disease spreading in epidemic form. Hirsch has
collected data of 309 epidemics of measles, and has classified them
according to season; summer had 43, autumn had 76, winter had 96, and
spring had 94 epidemics.
Measles is a disease of close association; hence its increase during the
colder months.
Frequently a child will go to a party and engage in innocent games in
which children are brought in close contact with one another. Perhaps
among the guests there is one with reddened, watery, eyes, which are
sensitive to light. The eyelids are perhaps a little puffy, and the guest
has a hard, high-pitched cough. The other children pay no attention to
this, and the games go on uninterruptedly. In this way a single child in
the beginning stages of measles may easily affect 15 or 20 others. This is
frequently the case when kissing games are played.
About 10 days later the children who have exposed themselves to the
disease begin to sicken. They, too, have red, watery, sensitive eyes and
puffy eyelids. In fact, in rather severe cases the whole face has a rather
swollen, puffed appearance. The throat feels parched and a dry, irritating
cough increases the discomfort. The child is apt to come home from school
feeling drowsy and irritable, not infrequently complains of chilly
sensations, and may even have a chill. At night the irritation increases,
the child is feverish, the whites of the eyeballs show little red lines
upon them, and the little sufferer has the appearance of being just ready
to cry.
If the anxious mother takes the child to the window in the morning, raises
the curtain, and examines the little one's throat she will see that the
hard palate and back of the throat are a dull, angry red. Perhaps there
are a few little red spots on the hard palate, and if the mother will look
closely at the lining membrane of the cheek she will see some small
white-tipped, reddish spots. These are called "Koplik's" spots, and are
one of the signs of measles.
The child is kept from school that day, and that night his fever is higher
than it was the night before. He rolls and tosses about the bed and wakes
up his mother a good many times to ask for a drink of water. This sort of
thing continues for 3 or 4 days; then, one morning when the child is
having its bath the mother sees some little dusky red spots along the hair
line. They look a good deal like flea bites. Within 24 hours this rash is
spread over the body and the child looks very much bespeckled and swollen.
In from 5 to 7 days the rash begins to fade, and within 3 or 4 days
thereafter is entirely gone away, leaving behind a faint mottling of the
skin. This is followed by a peeling off of the outer layer of the skin in
little bran-like pieces. This process is called desquamation, and lasts
about a week or 10 days.
In the meantime the fever has gone away, and as soon as the child has
finished scaling he is permitted to go out and play with the other
children, and before long is back at school. The foregoing is a
description of a mild case.
If measles assume a malignant type, as it sometimes does among the
nonrobust, it may be ushered in by convulsions, very high fever, and an
excessive development of all the ordinary symptoms, or the rash when it
appears, instead of being a good healthy-looking red, may be a
bluish-black discoloration which looks like a recent bruise.
Broncho-pneumonia, the most common and the most fatal of all the
complications of measles, is very apt to occur. The cough is very painful,
and death quickly relieves the sufferer.
The two forms of the disease which have just been cited are in no way
exaggerated and unfortunately they are of far too common occurrence. The
first child received the infection directly in the harmless games at the
party by coming in intimate contact with a child who was just coming down
with measles at a time when, according to the researches of Anderson and
Goldberger in the Hygienic Laboratory of the United States Public Health
Service, the infecting virus is most active. Their work seems to show that
the infection does not persist after the fever has gone away.
While all of the severe cases may not be as grave as the one which was
cited above, it must be admitted, nevertheless, that broncho-pneumonia is
the great menace of measles. Fifty-odd years ago Gregory wrote "I am sure
I speak much within bounds when I say that nine-tenths of the deaths by
measles occur in consequence of pneumonia." Less frequently there are
other complications, and the eyes, ears, the central nervous system,
heart, and the skin may any one of them suffer. Sometimes there is
gangrene at the corners of the mouth and this may result in death or
horrible deformity.
Measles, then, is a serious disease, sparing practically no exposed person
who has not had it. In 1846 it attacked the Faroe Islands, and the record
of that visitation is both remarkable and instructive. The island had been
free from the disease for 65 years, when a Danish cabinetmaker returned
from Copenhagen to Thorshavn with the disease. He infected two friends,
and the epidemic increased by leaps and bounds, until within a very short
time over 6,000 persons out of a population of 7,782 were attacked. Almost
every house on the island became a hospital, and the only persons who
passed through the visitation unscathed were old inhabitants who had had
the disease as children 65 years before. Not a single old person who was
not protected by a previous attack and who was exposed to the infection
failed to contract the disease.
This is one of the oldest ailments with which man has been afflicted. In
fact the word "measles" traces its genealogy back through the German
"masern" to the Sanskrit "masura," a word meaning "spots." The writings of
the ancient Arabian physicians are replete with mention of this disease.
The Italians, who evidently regarded it no more seriously than we do,
called it "morbillo," which means "little sickness."
Time and again measles has been widely diffused on Asiatic and European
soil, and shortly after the colonization of America it appeared in our
colonies. Many are the quaint records of its visitations, not the least
interesting of which is a letter which appeared in the Boston Evening
Post, November 12, 1739, entitled "A letter about good management under
the distemper of measles at this time spreading in the country, here
published for the benefit of the poor and such as may want help of able
physicians." It is signed "Your hearty friend and servant," and the
authorship is attributed to Cotton Mather. It is stated that this letter
is a reprint of one which Dr. Mather wrote prior to his death in 1728.
At present the disease is distributed over the entire habitable globe,
from Iceland on the north to Tierra del Fuego on the south. It occurs most
often and more severely in the colder months, probably because at such
times people are more closely crowded together under more insanitary
conditions. When introduced among a people who have never suffered from it
before, its ravages are frightful, as in the case of the inhabitants of
certain of the Fiji Islands, who, upon being exposed to the infection,
fell ill and died by thousands, so that it is estimated that 20,000 deaths
occurred in four months. The epidemic ceased only when almost every person
on the island had been infected.
During the year 1910 the death rates from this disease in the States of
Rhode Island and North Carolina were 32.6 and 27.1 per 100,000
inhabitants.
In the same year the death rate per 100,000 from measles in Pittsburgh,
Pa., was 33.1; Providence, R. I., 31.9; Kansas City, Mo., 28.4; Lowell,
Mass., 28.1; Albany, N. Y., 23.9; Columbus, Ohio, 23.6; Buffalo, N. Y.,
22.1; and Richmond, Va., 21.1.
The death rate among those attacked varies from 1/2 to 35 per cent. If it
is estimated that the death rate is 1 per cent, and the number of deaths
from it in the United States during the year 1910 was 11,000, then it
would follow that during that year at least 1,100,000 children suffered
from this disease. When it is considered that perhaps 30 per cent of these
children were of school age, and that the disease occurs most often during
the months of school attendance, then it will be seen that 330,000
children were kept from school from six weeks to two months on account of
measles. Leaving out of consideration the death and suffering which was
produced in this way, this is a serious economic loss.
Measles is a frequent accompaniment of war, or any other occasion which
brings large numbers of persons together under unhygienic conditions. In
fact, measles is one of the most formidable of camp diseases. This fact is
well demonstrated by morbidity and mortality statistics of the Civil War.
At that time the mortality rate was very high in the general field
hospital at Chattanooga, being 22.4 per cent, and in the general field
hospital at Nashville it was 19.6 per cent. In 1865 there were 38,000
cases with 1,900 deaths from measles in the Confederate army. It is
reported that during the Brazilio-Paraguayan War an epidemic of measles
swept off nearly a fifth of the Paraguayan army in three months.
It is thus seen that measles is many times a very severe disease, one
which can not be dealt with lightly, one to which we should not expose our
children. A child with measles should be put to bed and kept there as long
as it has any fever or cough. The room should be airy, but it should be
darkened, because children with measles are very sensitive to light. The
bedclothes should be light, because the child is apt to get too warm, kick
off the covers, and suffer from the cold. A chilling in this way may
predispose to pneumonia. Food should be light and should consist chiefly
of nutritious broths, pasteurized milk, soft-boiled eggs, and the like.
Ice lemonade will bring comfort to the inflamed throat. The child's eyes
should be kept clean, and should the fever get high the comfort of the
little sufferer may be increased by sponging with tepid water and alcohol.
Sometimes it is necessary to put an ice bag to the head, but, if the child
is sick enough to require this, skilled assistance should be summoned.
When the fever and cough have gone the child may be allowed to be up and
about the room, but for a time should not indulge in violent exercise,
because there is often some weakening of the heart muscle by the disease.
The aim is to allow the heart muscle to regain its normal condition before
putting too much strain upon it. The diet should be increased when the
fever has gone away, and should include good, plain, strong foods. If
there is a tendency to regain weight and strength slowly, the child may be
given an increased amount of pasteurized cream or good butter. If the
child prefers cod-liver oil, this may be substituted.
The important point about the prevention of the disease is the fact that,
judging from the experiments of Anderson and Goldberger above referred to,
measles is rarely transmissible after the fever has gone down.
Experimenting with monkeys, they found that they were unable to transmit
measles from monkey to monkey after the stage of fever had ceased. It used
to be thought that the germs of measles were in the scales of skin which
were shed at the close of the disease.
It is thought by some that there may be chronic carriers of measles, but
this is not at all proven. It is also believed that a discharging ear
following measles may be the means of continuing the transmission of the
disease. This is not proven. There are on record a large number of
instances which seem to point to the fact that under certain conditions a
third person may carry the infection from the sick to the well.
Transmission of measles to human beings by the lower animals is still
unproven.
It is not known what the cause of measles is. A great many scientists have
described germs which they believe to be the causal agents, but up to date
these have not been positively proven as the cause of measles. We do,
however, know that the infection of measles is found in the secretions
from the nose and throat during the first stages of the disease; therefore
persons suffering with measles should not be allowed to come in contact
with well persons until the period of fever has well passed.
Since the disease is known to be spread by the sputum, the prime measure
in the prevention of this disease is to prevent the sputum from the sick
being taken into the system of well persons. Children with measles should
be provided with a quantity of soft paper napkins, and as soon as the
napkins become soiled they should be burned. Children should be taught
that they must always hold a handkerchief in front of the mouth while
coughing. This is a measure which tends to control the spread of a good
many diseases besides measles, because during coughing and sneezing sputum
may be thrown several feet. Everything which has come in contact with
measles patients should be sterilized before it is allowed to come in
contact with other people or other things which may be handled or used by
other people. Bedclothes, napkins, table linen, towels, and the like may
be sterilized by boiling.
When it is known that measles exists in a community, no child having a bad
cough should be allowed to come in contact with other children during the
first three or four days of the cough.
It is little less than criminal to permit children known to have measles
to come in contact with well children. In this connection it may be
remarked that while it is generally considered that one attack of measles
confers immunity, there are many cases on record of second and third
attacks. It is true that the second attacks are usually very mild, but too
great reliance should not be placed on this immunity.
Children should be discouraged as far as possible from playing games which
will permit of an interchange of nasal or mouth secretions. It is the duty
of every parent having measles in the home to see to it that it is
reported to the public-health authorities. It is equally the duty of
parents to see to it that their children do not come in contact with well
children during the time when the infection may be transmitted. Measles
kills more people in the United States every year than smallpox. You can't
kill a child any deader with smallpox than you can with measles. It is the
duty of private citizens and municipalities to take every known measure
for the prevention of the spread of this disease.
*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MEASLES ***
Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will
be renamed.
Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright
law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works,
so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United
States without permission and without paying copyright
royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part
of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project
Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™
concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark,
and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following
the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use
of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for
copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very
easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation
of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project
Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away—you may
do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected
by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark
license, especially commercial redistribution.
START: FULL LICENSE
THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG™ LICENSE
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free
distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project
Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full
Project Gutenberg License available with this file or online at
www.gutenberg.org/license.
Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg
electronic works
1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg
electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or
destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg electronic works in your
possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a
Project Gutenberg electronic work and you do not agree to be bound
by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person
or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be
used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg electronic works
even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
Gutenberg electronic works if you follow the terms of this
agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg
electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.
1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the
Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection
of Project Gutenberg electronic works. Nearly all the individual
works in the collection are in the public domain in the United
States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the
United States and you are located in the United States, we do not
claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing,
displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as
all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope
that you will support the Project Gutenberg mission of promoting
free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg
works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the
Project Gutenberg name associated with the work. You can easily
comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the
same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg License when
you share it without charge with others.
1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are
in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States,
check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this
agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing,
distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any
other Project Gutenberg work. The Foundation makes no
representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any
country other than the United States.
1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other
immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg License must appear
prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg work (any work
on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the
phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed,
performed, viewed, copied or distributed:
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
of the Project Gutenberg™ License included with this eBook or online
at www.gutenberg.org. If you
are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws
of the country where you are located before using this eBook.
1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg electronic work is
derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not
contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the
copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in
the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are
redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project
Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply
either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or
obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg
trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg electronic work is posted
with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any
additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms
will be linked to the Project Gutenberg License for all works
posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the
beginning of this work.
1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg
License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg.
1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
Gutenberg License.
1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including
any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access
to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg work in a format
other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official
version posted on the official Project Gutenberg website
(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense
to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means
of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain
Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the
full Project Gutenberg License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg works
unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
access to or distributing Project Gutenberg electronic works
provided that:
• You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
the use of Project Gutenberg works calculated using the method
you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed
to the owner of the Project Gutenberg trademark, but he has
agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid
within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are
legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty
payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in
Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation.”
• You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™
License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all
copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue
all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™
works.
• You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of
any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of
receipt of the work.
• You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.
1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project
Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than
are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing
from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of
the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set
forth in Section 3 below.
1.F.
1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project
Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™
electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may
contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate
or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other
intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or
other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or
cannot be read by your equipment.
1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right
of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGE.
1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium
with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you
with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in
lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person
or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second
opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If
the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing
without further opportunities to fix the problem.
1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO
OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of
damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement
violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the
agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or
limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or
unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the
remaining provisions.
1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in
accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the
production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™
electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses,
including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of
the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this
or any Project Gutenberg work, (b) alteration, modification, or
additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg work, and (c) any
Defect you cause.
Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg is synonymous with the free distribution of
electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of
computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It
exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations
from people in all walks of life.
Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg’s
goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg collection will
remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
and permanent future for Project Gutenberg and future
generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see
Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org.
Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit
501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification
number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by
U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws.
The Foundation’s business office is located at 41 Watchung Plaza #516,
Montclair NJ 07042, USA, +1 (862) 621-9288. Email contact links and up
to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website
and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact
Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation
Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread
public support and donations to carry out its mission of
increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest
array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
status with the IRS.
The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND
DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state
visit www.gutenberg.org/donate.
While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
approach us with offers to donate.
International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation
methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To
donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate.
Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg electronic works
Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project
Gutenberg concept of a library of electronic works that could be
freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and
distributed Project Gutenberg eBooks with only a loose network of
volunteer support.
Project Gutenberg eBooks are often created from several printed
editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in
the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not
necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper
edition.
Most people start at our website which has the main PG search
facility: www.gutenberg.org.
This website includes information about Project Gutenberg,
including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
Showing first 200,000 characters. Full text: gutenberg.org/ebooks/19965