Diphtheria

líelow we give extracta from an anide on diphtheria, by W. B. Morrison, M. i)., heijth offioer of Grand Kapids: The opinión has prevailed to a considerable extent ainong tho people, as well as wíth a few (ihyticians. tnmt itinhüwia ia not contagious or eommunicable from one to another, and great suffering and loss of lif'e haa followed frora the want of' proper caution being taken tu isolate those arHieted witb it. Many instances may be cited of the positive communication of the disease frotu one to another, as well as individual cases where no communication was had with those affectedtith it, and yct the latter assumes a malignant type and communicates it to others. The poison which produce? diphtheria is not as definite and as distiiwtly a specific poison, as far as our knowleage now extends, as smallpox, which reprodices itself like a ferment and does not occur spontaneously as if it were from ülih or decomposing animal or vegetable matte-, althounh diphtheria is justas surely cortagious under proper oireumstances as saallpoz. A predispoi-ing condition of the individual :s certainly favorable, if not necessary, to the development of the discase (diphtheria). These predisposing ooadlctioDe are oftenest found in yuung persons from one year to sixteen. Colds or slight sore throatsin persons living in places favorable to the development of the disease reader them especially liable to an attack." Diphtheria appears to break out in some isolateJ localities anew without bcing ablo to tract any eunntxtion with the dllMM through contagión. lts epidemie breeding grounds are to be found in well defined spots in rural districts, where t is constantly liable to break out aa if de novo, and the constant condition of these localities is ftructural dampness of habitation. I can point to isolated hooMa which have been attacked by diphtheria at intervals of years where the dampness has chiefly re8ulted from the houso being shut in and closely surrounded by trees, within 6ome cases, the earth at the back as high as the eaves. Henee, whatever conditions seem to favor fungoid growth, would seem to favor the incidence and persistence of the disease Dr. Arthur Downs suggests that " the contagiutn vivum of diphtheria is capable of prolonged existence under conditiuns independent of the human organization - possibly at a low growth on a damp surface." Is not this tho truc way of' accounting for the apparent origin of' the disease from decaying vegetables in the cellar, filtby cesspools and from sewer gas, conditions in each cate favoring fungoid irrowth." Tbe diaease is commumcable trom the mildest cases. Such cases are especially liable to give origin to au epidemie which may be severa or even raalignant. This is the reason why, of all diseases, diphthena is more liable to be spread Ly schools, children being frequently affected with the disease so lightly as not to be disabled frotn attending school, but not even to give any ezternal sign that they are the subject of the diseasc. Henee when diphtheria is known to exist in a neighborhood, children affected even with a suight sore throat should be scrupuloucly isoiatcd or the sohool should be closed. The infection o(' diphtheria is etpeoully portable." Thus we see it apparontly conveyed for quite long distanoes by persons going from an infected house, but wtio themselves have not had the disease. In other cases purhaps going to an infected bouse, though tarrying only for a few minutes, seems to convey and communioate the diseaso to others though themselves escape. Persons loog considered convalescentalsoappear in some cases to retain about them the germs of the contagiuin vivutu of the disease so as to readily communicate it to others. These considerations, apparently established, demónstrate the iuiportance of a strict and lonn continued iolation, and an effective disinfection of persons and clothing. Public funerals of persons dying of contagious diseases are dangerous to the public healtb, and ought to be prohibí ted by law. I suppose it is safe to say that, asido from public schools, there is not a moro fertile way spreading diphtheria than by public funerals, where the dead body is presented to the curious. Many persons, young and old, on such an occasion crowd the house wbich has perhaps for days been infected with the disease, and when the disease becomes fearfully and fatally epidemie the whole community wonder and are albast at the mysterious dispensation of Divine Providence, whereas had the liiuiily and a few adult friends quietly and speedily buried the dead and thoroughly disinfected their house, Divine Providence would have smiled on that community by giving general health. In conimon with all zimatic diseases the cause of diphtheria is one of the most ditficult problema of medical science to solve. Various opinions have been held as to its nature, and many different theories advanced. All however, are agreed that it is due to a speoific poison traceable to conditions which tend to the disorganization of x highly organized substancc, and the furmation of another and poisonous nature of lower organization which takes place uii'Kt the lnllucucu of moieture, and is commonly called affluvia, wbich is found in damp cellars, privy vaults, cesspools, filtby streets, alleys and yards But the most deadly l'orm of it is sewer gas, which is duüned to be a non-analyzable element which poisons the blood of human beings. Th is poisonous element may enter the system through the water we drink, the lood we eat, or the air we breathe. Wells situated within twenty (eet of a privy or cesspools in sandy soil soon become impregnated with the poisonous drainage from them, and disease results. Imperfect drains from within the house leading to the sewer or cesspool fill your house with the deadly gas, and you wonder where your children caught the diphtheria. It is clear then that you are the guardian.s of health in your own homex, and that your dutv is undone if you fail to make frequent inspections of and correct these sources of disease.