Diphtheria And Tonsillitis

Diphtheria is a constitutional disease; it is in the blood, but itmany times manifests itself locally in the throat. It often canses white spots to appear on the tonsüs and even on other parts of the throat. But these white spots are far different in appearance from those seen in tonsilitis. A great number of persons are frightened as soon as they see white spots on the tonsils; but if there is no epidemie of diphtheria in t+e neighborhood do not, as a general thing, fear that the trouble is diphtheria. In nine cases out of ten it is tonsilitis. A dangerous symptom in this case, however, is a bad sore throat without fever at the outset. I have seen the most fatal cases of diphtheria start in this way, and I dread such cases most of all. A troublesome sore throat before the fever comes On is suspicious, and needs a physician promptly. A fever, accompanied generally with coryza, but not always, followed by sore throat, is probably tonsilitis, and can be treated at home generally. We may get white spots in both cases. The white spots differ widely in the two diseases. In tonsilitis the white spots are merely dead cells that are broken down, disintegrated and are forced to the surface. They can be brnshed away, bnt they are a trifling thing as compared with the spots in diphtheria. Without going deeply into the subject of diphtheria at this time, I shall simply say that the spots in this disease are the appearance at the surf ace of the tonsils of a tenacious membrane. This membrane dips down into the surface of the tonsils, and if removed leaves a bleeding, ngly track behind it, which is later filled with