The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-02-01
The pathology Of plphtherIIa.

A physician says A lady writes lls,
asking several questions upon this sub
ject. She the disease Is quite preya.
lent in her locality. Her first question
i, "Are sdiphtheria and 'putrid sore
throat the same I" Second, "If death
is caused from choking-apn@d-or an
inability to get breathg'
To her first question | answer EYES, +"
know the laity (anl some not over.
well-posted doctors, tool make dis.
tinction lrom simply difference in tile
severity Of the complaint in two or more
cases; calling the more violent cases Of
diphtheria "putri1 sore throat"
The disease is constitutional one.
The throat is only one place out Of many
in which II gives us n "local appear.
ance. II attacks all mucous surfaces
ear, eye, mouth, nose, esophagus, stom-
ach, rectum, vagina, etc. -inditferently.
II may be in any two or three OF these
localities in the same person at once. II
also shows itself on any abraded surface
Of an afflicted individual. la
The most general seat, however, is on
the fauccs (throat); yet cases are on rec
ord where, although evident in other
parts Of the same patient, there was no
throat complaint.
Locally, then, the expression Of the
disease is but an inflammation Of the
mucous membrane with an exudation Of
an organozolete (ibrinous) lymph. This
shortly " "urganizes Consolidated to the
leaden or ashel.colored membrane that
is pathognomonic Of the complaint. This
membrane you find wherever the inaam.
matory process Is set up, and it can be
readily pulled of, leaving the INV sur
face beneath. Sometimes Il gets to be
very thick. tbs the abundance Of this
membrane in the trachea and bronchial
tubes tllat causes death by "strang'ila-
ton = itpreyents the passage Of mir me.
chanically.
To answer her second question: In
some cases Il Is; in others II Is not.
Sometimes death occurs within forty.
eight hours, and before this exudationi Is
poured out from tlie inaamed surface
anywhere. Again, when the disease does
not attacls tho larynx or trachea, "clok-
ing to death is impossible. Death, in
the majority Of cases in children, does,
however, occur as sle indicates, In
older persons death by asthenia "a
gradual WASTING of the power of life) IL
full as common.
The disease Is one of excessive yomit-
ing frequently, and loathing Of food (;
hence, unless you are careful, your pa
tient ycrily staryes to death. Again,
some deaths are from nervous lesions-a
paralysis somewhere for instance Of
tile nerve Of organic life to the heart.
Again, the blood (which Is normally sup.
Piled with iibrine) Inns the fibrine notably
increased; so much so that It clots in the
heart, thus causing death.
1t is by no means so frequent dis
ease as Il supposed. Other throat IN.
flammations are very frequently called
,liphtharia, either through q careless
diagnosis or nm ,inlandnble motive OF the
attendant. Babies alwayshaye "croup,"
you know, yet 1 venture my life that not
one in o hundred ever had any such dis.
ease. Babieawith Group ARE sick, aud
not generally nine hundred and ninety
nine out Of a thousand get well. Sowitll
liphtheria, yet cases sometimes are very
mid.
/ give no treatment, as II IL disease
TINT only physician should take hold oil.