News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-01-17
FACTS ABOUT DIPHTHERIA.
THE TIKENEsS OF THIS DISEASE TO
TIE PUTRID SORE THROAT:
Description of the Dis ease and How it
Acts on lie Pnticnt-BintS as TO its Treat-
ment.

Description of the Dis ease and How it
Acts on lie Pnticnt-Bints Il TO its Treat |
ment.
From the Philadelphia Times.1
About the year 200 A. D., Areteus, a
physician of Cappadocia, observed a GER
tain malady of the throat, to which he
gave the name Of the "t1gypsian ulcer.
OF these he said:-''Such as are clean, |
small, superficial, without pain and
without Inflammation, are mild; but
such as are broad, hollow, foul and
covered with white, ivid or black con-
cretion ale pestilential." This and it's
context has given rise to an opinion held
by some that the condition which at
tracted the attention of this observer
was the disease now known as diphtheria,
word of Greek derivation, used to sig
nifty covered, as by membrane" and
first applied to the condition in question
in the early part of the present century
by NJ. Bretonneau, celebrated French
physician In the early part of the si1.
teehth century certain Spanish and Ital-
ian physicians described the "morbus
suffocans" with which they frequently
had to deal, and which probably was
that form of diphtheria in which the
false membrane is ezuded into the air
passages. Lastly, Fothergill, an Eng
lish physician, described, about the mid
die of the seventeenth century, "the
putrid sore throat" which is as good an
account of diphtheria as has since been
written. Now, although this disease has
been noticed by physicians for centuries,
yet to this day none are able to say GER
tainly from whence it came or what
brought it. 1t is, however, probable
that the symptoms of diphtheria follow
only when an individual has received
into the system quantity of a micro
scopic plant, named by scientists the
"dIphtheriuc micrococcus. This plant
is believed to exist everywhere, even il
the human throat, and when these It's
sues become infamed the micrococc
pass most easily into the blood, upon
which they feed and multiply rapidly
and thus produce the symptoms of the
disease. Sore throat under any circum-
stances is a very vexatiOus complaint
but the sore throat of diphtheria is very
much more distressing than that ordi
narily experienced, and on account OF
the pain caused by the act of swallow
ing the patient is very liable to avoid
food and drink and medicine as well,
and quickly falls into a prostrate con-
dition, for which the abstinence and
blood poisoning just mentioned will
readily account. This circumstance
makes it desirable that the maximum
amount of liquid food should be admin
istered to the patient in every possible
way.
A notable proportion of diphtheritic
patients are quite young, a circumstance
which tends to make the result of tho
case much more doubtful, from tht
simple fact that these patients are no
only unable to assist in the efforts made
for their relief, but sometimes resist, anC
thus the best directed efforts may be de-
feated. In some cases the diphtheritiC
deposit takes place in the air passages.
This event is indicated by hOarseness
and other changes in the voice or the
voice may be entirely suppressed. This
is very ominous occurrence. Bleeding
from the nose or mouth and persistent
sick stomach also bode no good to the
patient. What effect atmospheric con.
ditions have in the production of diph.
liberia is undetermined, the disease hav
ing been observed at all seasons and ii
all ATTITUDES. Diphtheria and all Other
infectious diseases are alike in one re
spect at least-namely, that those per
sons who are Constitutionally weak ant
those who from any cause are debilitatet
are most liable to be attacked, and il
such cases the result is most likely to bt
bad. For the reason just given it is de
; sirable for all who are exposed 10 the
, poison of diphtheria to maintain th'
general health in as high state as pos
sible by a liberal diet, personal and gen
eral cleanliness and by taking the regu
lar and natural rest. 1t is probable tina
by changing the nurse every twelv
hours in TINS and similar diseases TIN
patients would receive better care ant
: the risks of poisoning on the part of tn
attendants would thereby be material.
diminished. The treatment of diph
, thena must be left exclusively to tn
: physician, who should be called earl
and his directions followed implicitly
Any person who attempts to treat cas-
of this disease without an adequate ide
of the gravity of the situation or of tn
means which are best calculated to bene
u fit the patient assumes great responsl
bility. Bnt. after all, some will be de
stroyed by the disease when nothing ha
> been spared. The persons who do ult
mately recover from this disease are az
to have a very protracted convalescenct
/ during which "Iocal palsies" are tre
: quently noticed. Defects of sight an
hearing are also very common unde
these circumstances.