Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1880-11-29
DIPHTHERIA.

90 muCn eXclCemenI al pTcocuU PI0-
walls throughout our community over
the sudden appearance of diphtheria and
the dreadful fatality of its attack that
something regarding the cause of the
disease and the means to be employed
for its prevention will be most timely.
This is furnished by one of our most
prominent physicians, in the following |
article written for the Free Press:
In the first place, diphtheria is not
contagious disease, as we speak of con-
tagion in such affections as scarlet fever.
smallpox or measles. A person expos
ed to case of diphtheria might con-
tract the disease, but could not carry it
in his clothing unless secretions from
the throat or portions of the membrane
had been expelled by the patient and
lodged in his garments. 1t is not COM
mon for adults to contract the disease,
as the mucous membrane lining of their
throat is not SO susceptible to the poi
son as in children but when the poison
has once manifested itself the course,
severity and result of the disease is pre-
cisely the same in youth or middle age.
The origin or source of this disease
is now pretty generally believed to be
found in sink sewerage, and not from
all seweraging, as many imagine. The
sinks in our houses receive the washings
of culinary articles and contain animal
or vegetable matter in greater of less
quantity the greasy particles adhering
to the waste pipes leading to the street
sewer or cess pool. 1t is the accumula-
tion Of such material within these pipes
that leads to the development of germs
of (bacteria) which find their way into
our rooms and are inhaled by every
member of the household. The inner
coating of any waste pipe leading from
our kitchen sinks, when placed under
the microscope, presents the same ger
minal cells (or bacteria) as the mem
brane furnishes from the throat of a pa
tient who is suffering from diphtheria.
In no other sewerage can be found the
same microscopical germs; and from
the similarity of these to those found in
the throat of diphtheria patients it is
fair to presume that in sink sewerage
alone do we find the primary cause of
/. the disease.
The effect of this poison when first
inhaled is to produce an intense infam-
nation of the throat, and up to this
time the disease is entirely local. Only
after absorption of the products of such
: inflammation does it become constitu
: tional or general, and only after this
/ point has been reached does it require
J constitutional treatment.
. The prevention of so serious a dis
ease is of more consequence than dis
4 cussion. of its treatment, as the results
$ obtained from remedies applied hav
D been favorable in only a small proper
: ton of cases. There appears to, be con
0 siderable confusion in the minds of man,
: respecting the significance of the term
e deodorizer and disinfectant.
j 1t is customary to scatter throug
/ sinks, cess-pools, vaults. ETC., substance
:, having an odor stronger than thos
:, emanating from such places, with tn
= belief that disinfectant has been az
piled and therefore the cause of diseas
removed. This, however, is erroneou
as most of the deodorizers used, such q
m carbollc acid, chloride of lime and tn
ct like, and disinfectants only to a Yer
2 few of the many vegetables and amin;
le germs capable of producing disease.
l. the cause of diphtheria emitted an ode
d and permeated our houses like the ODD
to of vinegar, onions or garlic while III
in dergoing the process of cooking in IL
IS kitchen, it might not be difficult to d
RS tect it or furnish an antidote to its "a
n ages. But no perceptlble odor is. o
"a served, and therefore most of the d
be odorizers employed effect only the T
r. moval of disagreeable smell, leavil
is the more virulent poison unchange
r. What then can be employed to disinfe
by our premises? In the first place boilil
ty water or steam destroys all organ
ol- matter whether it emits preceptit
lg- odor or not. Those, however, are il
to practicable, as the effect is Temporal
On and too frequent repetitions are requ
ID ed to establish the best results L
he next most efficient, reliable and Chez
ch est disinfectant that can be obtained
rat copperas (sulphate of iron.) This, no
les ever, Is of little or no use unless d
It'll solved in hot water Zone pound to
'ol- gallOn), and poured through sinks VIII
err it will come in contact with every p
the leading to sewer, cess-pool or vat
am This should be applied every week
be winter and two or three times e;
18th week in summer. In cold water it
lay but partially disinfectant and in
'ses dry form (the salt it is merely uselt
ON Other disinfectants and deodoriz
pes such as chloride of lime, carbolic az