St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-10-19
from the Springfield Republican,
The Treatment of Diphtheria.

the outbreak of diphtheria in various
localities to an extent that interferes
with the schools and produces general
alarm. Even the city of Providence
hes been subject to severe visitation.
The rural districts, where new methods
of treatment and new remedies make
slow progress, are more excusable for
the prevalence of this terrible disease,
but it is extraordinary that it should
gain the mastery of the medical pro-
fession of city like Providence. AL
though after certain stage the disease
generally defes remedy, it is well
known in the best medical circles to be
very docile in its earlier stages. 1t is
remarkable that the profession does not
take more pains to disseminate the lat
est methods of treatment of diseases
which stagger the average physician.
Even estate medicine devOtes itself
almost exclusively to the discovery of
the causes and source of disease and
very little to its remedies. This is a
rational method of procedure, we ad-
nit; yet, as this process of the extinc-
ton of disease is rather roundabout and
at best experimental, it would seem ad-
visable not to slacken the application
of known remedies to the disease where
it actually exists.
Diphtheria is a disease which springs
from the growth of a real fungus on
some of the mucous surfaces of the sys-
tenn, more generally of the throat. 1t
may be spread by contagion of the mu-
cous surface of diseased with those of
healthy person, as in kissing, and is
to limited degree epidemic. From
the local parts affected it spreads to the
whole body, affecting the muscular and
nervons systems, vitiating the lymph
and nutrient fluids, and producing
paralysis. AS soon as the vacterium or
fungus appears in white patches on the
throat, it should no more be neglected
than bleeding cash or a broken arm,
and there is almost as little need of a
fatal termination of one incident as of
the other. 1t has been found by actual
experiment, both in and out of the hu-
man system, that this vacterium is kill
ed by several drugs, the safest and most
certain of which is chlorine water, di-
luted with the addition of from two to
four times volume of water. This wash
is harmless, oven when swallowed, and
is pretty certain to arrest the disease,
A wellkLown physician in this city,
who has pursued this treatment for Is
years, has found it effective almost
without exception, and has in that
period often broken up the disease in
localities where it had ragged violently
aud defied treatment. Prior to its use
he lost three cases out of six, but has
since used it with scarcely failure dur.
ing the aforementioned period. The
recent great cyclOpedia of Ziemssen OF
the practice of medicine gives the high.
est place to this method of treatment
To keep the patient well-housed anG
warm, with additional flannel clothing
if necessary, and to keep the system
well nourished and the bowels open are
matters of nursing often neglected, but
with care in these respects and early
application of the remedies above sug.
gested, there is no need of the disease
proceeding to a fatal termination, OF
even to the debilitating illness an(
painful cauterizations which go together
in its later stages.
AS to the origin of diphtheria, th,
weight OF testimony is that it belong
to the class of filth diseases, but furthe
than that its source is not clear. Fam.
lilies which would be scandalized at the
suggestion of untidiness are attacked
while others of filthy surroundings es
cape. This simply shows that our sens,
of cleanliness needs cultivation, so tina
we may discriminate between what il
offensive to the system and what often
sive to our falsely educated tastes. Th'
farmers wife, to whom the closed an(
carefully busted parlor or the prefer
naturally scrubbed floor are the essen
tials of neatness, may endure the prox
unity of sour swamp or of the kitchen
cess-pool for years without taking of
fense. To many careful and laboriou
housekeeper, a chance cob-web or tn
children's sitter" of few hours pla,
will out-rank in Nervousness defectiv,
drain for the cellar or badly-conductet
privy.
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