The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-05-24
Aaaersun gntt11igeatsa.
Dlphtkeria.

Dr.. Young, secretary Of the State board
ofhealth, says there is Misrepresentation
in the public mind regarding the conta.
giousness ofdiphtheria. The direct com.
munication of the disease Is shown by .
young lady who came home sick with
diphtheria in mild form, and on her
arrival her brothers and sisters embraced
her.. They we're al attacked With :
maglignant type Of diphtherii, and one
died. The same young lady ,isited her
aunt in another family whore there wore
four children who took the disease. and
one died. No other cases in tbs vicini'
ty.
Another instance: At the death of Q
child from diphtheria two women helped
/ inilaying It out. One Of them, who was
5s years Of age, Was attacked in few
days, and died in three more, aud the
other took the disease in mild form and
recovered. Another case il that of boy
who had diphtheria in Bostou. He came
to this State TO visit relatives. In few
days after his arrival bis aunt washed
some of his clothing, and uss taken With
diphtbstia Tie week, and ii went
through the family, four cases. Before
the aunt Was taken sick the boy went to
another place and played with another
boy, who took the diphtheris and gave
it to tuo-other persons In that family.
The doctor reports sad case -
follows: An only child Was taken sick
With diphtheris and died on the fourth
day. The young mother in hsr grief
kissed the child and took the disease.
Within week she was buried beside the
child.
In . neigbborhood where DO diphthsria
had exi5ted for four years school
teacher visited oity--a notorious hotbed
Of diphtheria. He. contracted what he
called q slight sore throat. He returned
home With this still upon him and opened
school; In less than wesk dx were
lying sick with diphthOria aud the school
waa closed. The result was fve deaths,
three of which were adults.
In one family three ebildrsn died Of
this disesse In the croupous form. The
nurse beloved IL wss not possible to
carry the diseaae in clothing. and would
not change her drsss upon leaving the
house and was not afraid to take her
children in her lap upon going hons.
Chs vao admonished against such fosl.
hardy aonfrs. Fen days sftsr she lea tie
iRsssted hoase the phyaieian wa called
and found her family i'll With diphthsria
of thu most fatal form. Ono child died
in thirty.six hours After IL was attacked. !
Another caae-a woman died Of diphthe-
ria In Lynn, Mass. Her son brought her
clothes and bedding homo. His wife
washed them, took the disease, and died
in less than week.
The doctor says that oesss Like these,
which uumhtAkably show the contagious
nature Of diphthsria, ars insunerabls,
and at the aame time there are endless
instances in which diphtheria has not
been communicated to others exposed to
it. This does not prove that the disease
ia not contagious All persons are not
susceptible to tho Infection. He sayz
another thing which makes the infection
of diphtheria doubly dangerous Il its
persistent vitality. Unlsas carefully
disinfecting be taken, the infeotioa will
survive 10 start mystsriously another
epidemic at some future time, months OF
perhaps years afterwards, Hks the follow
ing: A boy Waited family In Eastport,
whore there vasra case Of diphthsris.
he took the disease in 9 light form and
recovered. Upon his return home his
sister, aged is, took the disease and died
In three days. Six months afterward
another sister came from Massachusetts
and occupied the room which had been
the sick room. She took the diphthsria
and died after FIVE weeks sicknssa,