Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-02-13
Facts AbOuf Diyhtheria
EAafirrT TO INFECTION IN THR LATEST srtas
OF TEE DiSsASE-ITS EASY TRANSHlSSloN-Ni
sFECFfC REMEDY KNOWN

LIABILITY TO INFECTION IN THR LATEST STAGES
OF THE DiSEASB-ITS EASY TRANSHISSiON-Nc
sfECific REMEDY KNOWN
From the British Medical Journal
me l'olntSo OF general Interest IN the sad death
or Princess Alice have by no means been ex-
hausted. There was point which being based
upon evidence OIL the highest authority de
serves attention:
This Is the TACT OF the sickening OF the late
Grand Duchess al - late period in the family
epidemic. This fact. which has been a sour,a
or much remark even IN professional circles.
found The most reasonable and natural eXpla-
nation la The point 10 which we called atten-
ton. ''The Princess had passed" IL was said
Through conditions which may be considered
10 have rendered her particularly susceptible
to the contagion, and likely TO suffer severely
IL il made good its hold" These conditions
consisted in prolonged anxiety, fatigue. and
continued exposure 10 contagi0n. All these
conditions are recognized, II Is true. as being
apt to lay person open 20 contagion, but they
f1, we n moi yer f y 30 e nT
Diphtheria has in these points a strong reSeul-
blance TO most of the other infectious diseases.
over and over again we hear with regret that
physicians, surgeons, nurses, who have brought
help and relief TO great many other sufferers
In epidemcS OF diphtheria. typhuS. yellow fever.
Cholera, Small-p ox, &C. and who have remained
unattached when these terrible diseases were
raging in their worst fOPnlS, Succumbei finally
when the evil was entirely eNterminated. and
when the few cases still under treatment bore
comparatively mild character This shows con-
vfncingly that a l0ng-continuPd and repeated
exposure 10 influences OF contagion does not
ought TO be borne in mind by every practitioner
and every nurse. Ii becomes an iInperIous duty
for the practitioner permanently TO remember
that his indefatigaDle efforts at saving his pa
tintS life. and the bodily fatigueS and the men,
tai anXietleS which the patients relations and
nurses undergo, MAKE all OF them still more prone
10 be attacked finally by the disease lie viii
nave TO remember, both as 10 himself and others
surrounding his patient, that Though GONZALES
eence nhght nave apparently begun. the patient
Is not Tree from the danger OF communicating
the dlseaSe To other persons until the mucuouS
membrane OF his throat has actually returned
10 the normal state. He viii therefore have IN
warn especially the conyaleScent-S rpla,ionS NOT
| 10 come into close contact or kiss his manu-
| even when all tebfie symptoms have dtsap-
peafeQ ana health and strength are rapidly in
/ cieaSlng; he VIII strongly forbid the bringing
pack TOO soon the other children who have been
al once removed from their parents house al
me outDreak or the disease. aud will not allow
them 10 live In the house before It's thorough
diSlniecton. and The diSinfectiCu. or il possible
! destruction. OF the patients and his attend
/ ants clothes, towels bed linen. handker,.aiefS
! &C. and he for himself will have TO remain eau
tlous up 10 Inc last, In inspecting the patients
mouth and throat, and in changing his clothes
| before another visit, after having seen a con-
! NaiesCent from diphtheria.
This brings US 10 another point. important IN
! practical respect, viz. the easy tranSnfSSihiI-
Hy OF the disease. and the fact that very Sc
| we're form may attack patient who has be-
come injected by another who has himself Suf-
lefeu out very slightly. The former fact has
| been c0rroborated by so many reports from the
most different quarters that 1t bears strong evil
/ dence IN faVor OF the emnenUly contagious
| character OF the disease, and for the correct
| ness or the opinion or those authorities WIN
| under no circumstances whatever. admit the
! Ineofy OF spontaneous origin OF the affection
For, While Ii may not be very difficult to trace
! 10 It's source an epidemic OF more miaSmatic
| character, I'VE call miaSmatic those germs OF
| ahecton |nlch are transmlSSlble especially by
| SOIL ana WGjer-fer example those OF typhoid
leNerl-t may ne very difficult. and sometimes
impossible, 10 trace a disease produced BY
| personal cohta9l0h. For although the ne
no ~ nf sG,.
! diseases Is very short one. lin diDbther
! for example, two to three days il must not be
| forgotten that the vitality Of al these germs
! seems 10 be very powerful. and that they NAV
! actually be present In a persons Immediate
surroundings for some time before an acct
dental indispoSitlon-such as for instance. a
sore thrOat-renderS him prone to receive aud
/ 10 develop the contagious poison in his system
II this theory is accepted. ii Will in our special
case, not be at all difficult TO explain the out
/ break OF the disease in the Princess Victoria,
| WHO was first attacked. She might have been
! some time before In ShoD in which, a few mo-
/ mentS previously or simultaneously, some per
/ son nau Deen Who was ia attendance on q
{ patient suffering from dphtheria: She might
/ have seen any person OF the town DarmStadt
1n which some endemic diphtheria is perma-
! nently present., who, although not personally
affected, inadvertently transferred the poi
son by his clothes, sc. ANY of these
! possibilities would, unfortunately, too easily
! suffice TO explain all the following tragic
events. AS to the second point men
toned = VIZ. that very severe form
lIISul bt bidiSulltltu DIV lll1etll0Q from
/ apparently mild ease, this fact cannot be
doubted. although il Will be very difficult in
Few cases 10 find satisfactory explanation. II
I Will, however. as a rule, not be much TO be
: wondered at IL persons of hereditary SllScapti-
| blllty or CT StrumouS diatheSa are attacked
| with the more severe forms OF the affection, Or
! lidlNldua ) who have been frequently subject
10 all forms OF acute and chronic pharynCea
| disease, or Who are suffering from eXhausting
! affections or II persons are thus attacked who
have gone through fatigueS. anxieIies. pro-
| tiacted and repeated Influences. Besides, we
nave ana0gieS In other infectious diseases as
ior example, In smallpox or Scarlatina, in
winch frequently the outbreak OF a very severe
Term Is 10 be traced with certainty TO a very
inlid source OF Infection. On the other hand IL
Is interesting that In very many instances
loT which the report in our recent issue gives
Dut one eXampleI even cases of the most severe
FORM DO not Lead necessarily 10 an Infection with
the Specllc poison, but simply TO the production
OF sore throat In some OF the attendants.
| This points out again that, with regard to the
prognoslS, everything depends upon the indi-
| vldual susceptibility OF the affected persons
The most important question, that of treatment
least one thing-that we have as vet no specific
remedy against the terrible disease Although
| mortality or Two in seven severe cases is by
no means high, according TO all statistics and ex-
| perleDceS, the case OF the Grand Duchess proved
cony1ncingly our relative helpleSSueSS The
august patient was under the care of the great
| est English and the greatest German authorities
on tie subject: the remedies and methods which
| tile most recent scientific IN