The Portland daily press., 1886-11-20
Is pIphtherIa CONTAGIOUS?
[Dr. A. G. Young. Secretary Of the State Board Of
Health.l

L1es - ocS4ctdiJ VI tlC OtettG bOdiu VI
Health.l
In the endeayor to lessen the slckness-rate and
death-rate OF State or Of a community, it Is a
very great help to success II the people generally
have some correct notions regarding the nature
and characteristics Of those diseases which cause
the most sickness and the greatest mortality. OF
given disease 1t should be known whether 1t is
contagious, If contagious, whether the contagion
requires subsection to the actual presence Of the
sick person before Infection can occur, or whether
the poisonous principle may be transported in
Clothing and other articles whether the eontagion
is capable of retaining its vitality short a
long time, and, finally what precautionary meas
ures are needful to reduce the number of cases Of
the disease to practicable minimum. OF diph-
iberia 1t may be said that there is no other acute
greater need OF correct answer OF this question
Of e0ntagion or non-contagion. For twenty-five
years or more, diphtheria has figured strikingly
under us present name and pathological descrip-
uOn In the ranks OF those diseases which endail-
ger ger! particularly early life During this time Y
gard to whether It aeas esase a rs or
not but am sorry 10 say that this Is not the case
Even In the medical profession we cannot quite
ton.
As few special examples will teach a truth
better than many lines written In a general way
afew such eases, in this paper and the one or two
ludt may IOuOW IL, VIII De given Tor the purpose
Of showing the fact Of contagiousness Nearly All
0f these Will be taken from the last report Of the
state Board Of Health Of Michigan, and were
officers In 1885.
. You win notice by accompanying report that
We're Of md6er ana sh ARE are Esn They
nrst about TWO weeks ago. while the mother was
IN ~. Paul MINI. When II was found that the
sent a dispatch to come at once Il she wished 10
see tne enid alive. She arrived about twelve
hoars before death occurred, and IN the fondllng,
him, she was taken down within twenty-four
hours, and this morning at 1.3O O'Clock she died
Two Pny siclans attended her, but they cosld not
boy tye years Of age"
The mother had assisted to take care Of all the
children (sick with diphtheria), and ON aturday
Jan. 80 coming TO the city she called In tie house
~ married daughter with family Of Ave chill
aren, stayed but short time, ana did not remove
was called TO see girl IL years old, al the second
house, sick with dlphtherla; one tonsil covered
with dark, heavy, muddy patch aud the other
side dark liyid color, AlittIe bow 3 wears old
was playing on the floor. locked into his throat
ana s there was small patch on one tonsil, about
the size Of a split pea He was feeling quite well
and playful In the evening, however he wa
having very high fever, nose became stuffed ana
cerYical glands terribly swollen. On Feb. g. an
older sister eompIaned Of her throat, and there
we found the characteristic signs Of the enemy
Lhey az recovered. however, except the boy, who
died on Sunday morning, 6th inst. after expecto-
rating two separate casts OF the trachea one on
Thursday and the other on Saturday In the arst
second family we have the Visit Of The mother Tor
lew minutes after driving four miles In the cold /"
Two young ladies' by the name Of Hammond
were stricken with diphher and one cf them
lived days, the other IS days. The mother Of
tne above eases took care Of them. After their
death she returned to her home In Hope township
within ten days. her youngest child, 3 years old,
came down with the disease and died. Another
one, II years ola, recovered. While the father OF
the family was taken and died, Mrs. Hammond
and her son did not have the disease. The prem
ises were closely guarded: no one allowed to 60
plete. believe II Il had not been so the difficulty
would have terminated in a regular epidemic"
tab 81 nc f sSoaso was Drousnt neIe IN old CLONES
Edwards, 0gemaw county. The clothes were
brought by poor man whose wife was taken with
sore throat, but no attention was paid to IL until
the next one was taken sick which the doctor
pronounced dphtherla."
The bodies q three children who had died Of
aipntherla IN Detroit were carried TO Ypsilantl
for burial, at three separate times and under a
permit from the health officer Of Detroit. In all
friends from Detroit, SOME Of them with their
tnroats done up IN flannel, Just convalesclng from
vs sie uisexse H. Inc family mingled with the rela-
with diphtheria"
The health oficer of rawas speaking Of an out
break there continues as follows:
THE mother of the child complained Of hsr
IhFnat az tne time, and was too III TO care for the
enid young German girl who, worked at the
DoeAuhS houSc was with u, carried IL, and gave
L medicine, and began to complain OF her throat
They all grew worse and the doctor still called il
qulnsy, but he became alarmed and went and ex-
amined them, aud then told the lady who kept
the boarding han that II was diphthera. but to
say nothing about Il as her boarders would leave
her. She Kept quiet. The child died on the 4th
and the father said II his wife died he would
shoot the doctor. He called Drs. Darling ana
Vaughan Of Tawas City to treat her. On the 9Th
OF July they reported three cases OF diphtheria at
this boarding house tone dead.) The German
girl took 70 g her bed on the 9th Of July and died
on the 10th, and was Immediately buried under
my supervision, Six cases have been reported
since, but they have been so mild that the people
OF the neghbOrhoOd refused to believe that they
were diphtheria and they did as they pleased. /
examined all the cases and found them TO be