Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1860-12-28
DIPTHERIA!--WHAT Is IT..-A SIM.
q Within the last noSH tw6s rnars$ fb n


public attention has. frequently been
called to this disease. by paiagraps tell
ing ofits Harasssin different places, or
of remarkable mortality from it in in
sdiEidaalfRainiiies.m It has prevailed ~ex-
tensively in California In. the autumn
of 1858, it destroyed nearly two hun
dred children in Albany, n Y; in
March, 1859, it produced great constern-
alton in Orange, Connecticut; it is quite
prevalent at the present time in West
err. New York; deaths are reported from
! it every week in Philadelphia, New Y ork
aud Boston, and some cases have occurred
during the last year in all parts of New
I England; but it has been epidemic so as
to attract the public attention in onl y IA
In this city there were few eases in
| August, 1858, and FIVE persons died with
the disease during the remainder Of that
year. r. f...., -. r...sf ......,.rff
In 1885, seventeen persons died OF
fdrptheria, and during the present year it
has been present in the city nearly all
the time, not, however, assuming an er.
! luemlc character. ......... ~ i.
! d 1t, has passed over all portions of
France within the last thirty five years,
and throughout England during the past
six or. eight years, causing a large NOR
tality among children, What is it?
J. We find the following description in
one Of the City Registers reports: Z"
i'"'"Diptheria is disease Of childhood,
the greater portion Of its victims, like
those.ef searlatina, being between two
and twelve years iof1age- It!eommences
with the usual symptoms of d cold and
with considera BE fever: simultaneously
with these. symptoms, and sometimes
!, preceding them, there is a deposit in
spotsy- Of iean whitish- or. greyish white
membrane' upon the tonsi4s and back
part Of the mouth This membrane in
ereases with great rapidity; the fever be-
comes of a typh old .characteri there is
great constitutional depression; the
breath becomes exceedingly f@tid, and
in some cases the glands about the neck
become enlarged. When death takes
place., it is caused in some cases by the
extension of the: false membrane to the
air passage, producing the effects Of
Group; in other cases it is caused by ex-
| haustion and fever from the poison OF
the disease. In some epidemics ma
iority of the fatal eases will die appar-
emily from Group; in other epidemics
the larger portion will die from the
constitutional symptoms. In the severe
epidemic in the city of Albany, in 1858
few eases occurr@ in the spring and
summer, but the greatest severity Of the
disease was in October and November
It is entirely distinct disease from
scarIatlna or Group, though it has some
relation to those diseases which at times
cause doubt in the minds Of superficial
observers. rt
/ The diagnostic by which it is known
from other comp plants OF the throat, is
the formation of Il membrane which in
creases gradually until the patient is
literally strangled to DEATH Itis some
times accompanied by liberation, and
extreme .prostration of the entire system,
and at Others by neither Of these symp-
toms, yet in either case It is equally fatal.
To arrest the formation of this mem
brane would therefore seem equivalent
to curing the disease, and this in most
instances may be done in the following
manner:
In the early stages Of the complaint,
which is always accompanied by sore
ness and swelling of the throat, let the
patient use a simple solution Of salt and
water, as a gargle, every fifteen minutes.
At the same time moisten piece of
flannel with solution Of the same kind,
made warm as the patient can bear it.,
and bind it around his throat, renewing
it-as often as the gargle is administered,
and in the meanwhile spriukliug fine
salt between,th flannel and the neck.
Use inwardly some tonic or stimulant,
either separately, or if the prostration
be great, use both together. The treat
ment as may be seen, is extremely sim
ple,land if used in the earlier stages of
the disease, will effect complete cure. :"
.PrOuideneee (R.aL) Post.