Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-01-11
From the Rutland Herald.
Dlphtherla.
THE NATURE or THE pIsEAsE-Irs CAUsEs--How
IT MAY BE PREVENTED AND CURED.

y the liza Is that il is caused by some low iorr
+ oi lie, or rather the spores of it which roa
! about IN the atmosphere end coming in con
tact with the tonsls, as the inspired air pas
ses over them, these fasten themselves an'
grow, and while thus growing they cause tn
white patches on the tonsils so peculiar t.
dlphthera. These spores rarely locate else
where than on the tonsils and i'll the ri
passages proper. They sometimes fix them
selves to the lips of wounds, more especially
= OF the neck, where they communicate witt
I the wInd-pipe. | remember two cases il
which had occasion to open the wind-pip,
III order to remove foreign substances from
them, during the existence of an epidemic O
diphtheIia, and in one case sister of the
patient WAS i'll in the hours with diphtheria
Now these children had 10 breathe through
the holes in their wind-pipes for II while
The diphthsretic patches were produced
in both eases on the lips of the wounds
Now Hese spores. We call the diphtheria
poslon, seem to he developed, first, i'll at
mosphere filled, in the form of vapor, OF
course, with organic matter not necessarily
pu,rid /; second ou the tonsis or in the
throat of the person affected with the dis
ease.
What the local conditions which make the
proper nest for the growth and reproduction
of the poison are, is not known with perfect
accuracy. But of it, however, We know a
| good many facts. it may find its nest in
broad fields imbued with sewage or other
| foulness IN certain atmospheric conditions
| and thus show itself in broad epidemics
or its nest may rather be in small areas, and
thus the disease may originate in one or two
distant points ina small village. and thence
| may spread by personal contact or may be car
ried in the clothes of the doctor or attendant
/, or by the inhalation of the air of an affected
| 'la rf lavFra .l...r of
houses, dscharging by a common outlet on
/ TO the surface 81 the ground, and there stand
! H.. iurIug cool season OF the year not
cold enough to freeze, n OF warm enough to
putrciy Is plauslbly hyTothetic, we'll fitted
breeding ground The poison spores origin
/, ating here may he carried i3y winds and iall
into the kitchen drains, which, if they are in
sandy or gravelly land, commonly terminate
on the premises. and are often connected
directly with the kitchen by pipe. As soon
rs it becomes cold enough TO build fire and
close the doors, the vapors from such depos-
its of filth are drawn into the room, and the
posion rushes in in such quantities that the
dose taken is strong enough to start the dis
ease
At all events we know that diphtheria is
least common in clean houses, filled with
clean air, and situated in clean neigh
horhoods most common in small, i'll
ventilated houses, filed with Lncleaness and
situated i'll unclean surroundings 1t must be
known that 1t is not in svery fine house. kept
scrupulously clean to the seeming, that the AIR
is clean. The air gets foul by crowding, and
want of ventilation, although the kitchen and
offices are clean. The emanations from our
bodies and our breath are all unclean-un-
clean in the sense that they are efiete. and on
the rapid march to putrefcation and decay
room ten feet square and ten feet high
contains the least space in which man can
live healthlly, and he must have the air
changed once in two hours at that. SO it
will he seen that in the cleanest house. iftwo
children sleep in an ordinarily sized room,
with the windows down and the door closed.
the air. 10y morning. gets miserbly unclean The
good Vile thinks that because she throws the
windows open wide each morning, the air is
c., an. She is sadly deceived, for much of
the uncleanness suspended in air attaches it.
self to bed clothes, the carpet, the walls. the
ceiling and accumulates in quantities great
enough to become fit nests when q iavoring at
mosphere co-operates, for diphtheria. Where
ever, or entering room, you perceive an un-
pleasant air, il may be what is called closeup
Whenever you enter house and the air is
not sweet and fresh whenever, on coming
ont of a house, are you struck with the sweet
ness and freshness Of the air as distinguish
you may he sure that in that house there are
the conditions which admit of diphtheria,
nay, causing diphtheria. and helping to
make 1t epidemic.
Very many persons think that on sandy
soil the drainage must be good Generally
1t is Jus; in sandy and gravelly soil it is
worst. In clay soils the unsghtiness of
sewage entorcts the mailing underground or
superficial drainage or if kept on the sur
face, the heat of the sun quickly causes the |
putrt iication or dessication of it. In sandy |
or Sravelly soil the watery parts of the sew
age filter through it into the wells. perhaps,
while the solid parts are kept near or on the |
suriace, not hot or moist enough, perhaps. |
for decomposition, but waiting for the |
autumnal rams to help in breeding the germs |
of disease
The limits OF Il newspaper article are too |
brieffor further remark on this part OF the |
subject. To dc justice to it, n large space is |
requisite even for the casual reader 1t is Of |
more Importance To the great majority of |
your readers TO know how to guard against
diphtheria. There should be
lst. Provision made for carving away
from the residence all decaying substances,
all filth of any kind theicontents ofprivies the
otlal of the kitchen, especially that which
gathers in the kitchen sink. and commonly
goes TO make an eyesore outside the hitch-
TN.
ID. These substances may be disposed of
IN running water-by burial i tie irater sup
Ply is not from ,reRS or placing it in situation
where complete chemical decomposition may
he effected, or by mixing with the filth some
substance which will prevent the growth of
disease germs.
The methods by which the ends NAV lie
reached are as varied as the surroundings of
he hnnga 4 ~
alton here.
As for public sewage in our towns de-
SPAR of any remedy sort of II change in the
average city councillors and selectmen
There Is not one of them however ignorant
Or unskllled he may be and commonly the
more Ignorant he is the more he scouts the
idyice of ''them id literary fellows" who
ioes not regard himself in every way ns com
)etent To deal with the highest questions of
'anlty science rs the most able sauitarian
They higgle over questions of economy on oc-
aston where the collins made necessary bv
heir stupidity cost more than the whole work
necessary to prevent the deaths. The work
when done, is oitener II set ofpneunatic tubes
or the easy and quick dissemination OF dis
AZ than Tor any other purpose.
ntll We have III our State Il sanitary board
" boards OF some sort, armed with authority
II the face of epidemics to order done what
u9ht to he, men, women and children will
ontinne to die unnecessarily in great num-
'ers
The disease when it occurs to one indiyid- ,
al IN IA family, ought not to be transmitted
o another member of it. Here the disease
preads by contasion, l. G.. by something
nanailng from the sick person. To pre- ;
ent the uniniected from taking the disease t
rom this source, 1t is only necessary that |
ne Sl mt n
mated air of the sick, or that in contact with /
nythlnG clothing or what not-which has .
'ecn IN the sick room, or to mix something {
nth the air ui the sick room which is able
10 destroy the contnglon from the sick per d
On. Now to guard well child against the
lhaation of tainted mir is almost Impossible !
'lthout removing IT from the house ,
The air within the four walls OF house is U
rctty apt to get mixed i'll spite OF all Won /
An do. There are many familiar instances /
tins boiling Goldfish, IL boiling cabbage, I
irying slice OF ham is each pretty apt to be L
oreoived IN every part OF the house. SCI
oppose That the contagious matter of diph- f
lerIH. II 1t Were AS Odoruus ms cabbage. c
ould make its presence manifest to the nose L
II over the house. 1t is not, however. udor- "
ls We may say that no contagion is odor- I
u-. :,
More than this, the spores of contaginn q
sttlc upon every phcc where dust can set "
e.. and will lie as dust will, undisturbrd and o
rled up Tor years IN all those places where q
room OF brush cannot reach. II will insinu- Il
!" itself INTO bed clothes, especially into Ii
ankets INTO wearing apparel, into window e
ifltlns. INTO carpets. liable to he blown a.
bout as dust may he blown about The ex- q
"mc difficulty of guarding against conta- Sc
"n viii thus hc seen. During II very early u
rod of the war, when raw recruits were 10
ing hudilcd into bnrra cks preparatory To- st
my sent t" the front, IL SO happened that "i
y attention was called to the appalling fire. st
iency OF erySlpelas n- well as the terrible ~
orialIly "i the cases At that time the ut IL
uSt that the doctors could do for the unf,r- p'
mate men was to complain of the over II
"wdmg to tn" officer in command, and com I"
only that was about as eilectun MS appeal ca