The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-04-22
STUDIES IN DIPHTHERTA.
voRE DOVE By BOARD OF HEALTH
BACIERiOLOGIsTS.

r.h,.sn Inspectors Are Ready 60 Exs-,ins
! All Suspicious Cases with the Ala OF
Microscopes and Guinea PIgs-The Dsa-
ger OF ContaEion from Convais-cents.
The METEOROLOGICAL department under the
eontrol Of the Board OF Health occupies the
4 second story OF the business block at ~
pl.eoker street Visitors who call upon Dr.
Herman BlRgs. the head Of the department,
4 ara amused at the antics OF more than two
,core guinea pigs. or rather the antics Of some
oithem. Some Of the pigs are In no mood for
antics because they are in one or another OF
The various stages Of diphtheria That lie
What The pigs are there for.
The physician who 10 at the head OF the
diphthereto section OF the departm ent IL DR..
william II. Park. He IL now writing a report
Of the Investigations OF his section for tho
medical iournsls This report covers the work
Of the first year Of the section. which was
founded as an experiment year ago. At that
time no other city had such q corps devoting
Itself exclusively to the study Of diphtheria-
The purpose OF the authorities In establishing
the section was to have ali cases Of suspected
dlphtheris promptly diagnosed at the public
expense. Any physician who comes across
suspicious case OF sore throat con avail him
self Of the services Of this corps Of trained
psychologists. lie may either make what 10
called culture and send It to the department.
OF he may notify the department which will
send an Inspector to make the culture.
There are eighteen inspectors who go about
making cultures. which are ex amined the next
morning under the microscope. Generally
theY can tell the physician whether he has q
true case OF diphtheria within twenty-four
hours. The bacillus Of diphtheria is easily
recognized under the microscope. It is known
IS the Klebs- Loe ler bacillus. The report now
H. roA Nnii L.
made By the psychologists within the past
rear. Formerly when a patient recovered
from diphtheria the house was fumigste and
the quarantine was raised. Frequently tho dis
ease would at once break out again in the
same house. This puzzled the physicians
who attributed 1t only to imperfect fumiga-
tion. The departme emit physicians have discov-
cred that the danger really lay In the throat OF
the recovered patient. Cultures taken from
the throats OF convalescents have shown that
the dlphtheria bacillus may be carried about
for several weeks by one who has got over tho
that true diphtherla hacilii have Teen taken
from patients throat was six weeks;
This discovery Is the cause OF rule put In
diphtheria should be declared free from the
disease until the examine alton Of cultures from
his throat showed him to DO free.
Many experiments have been made to de-
tect the presence of diphthcrctic germs In the
the disease existed. The result OF long m9s sec
r'es OF these investigations showed that where
had az to be-
dren would be found to have dlphtheria germs
Here was one use for the guinea pigs. There
u germ which .xactlv resembles the klebs-
ISoh does not pscduee the disease e SRsn f IN.
jected under the skin OF guinea pigs or that OF
doctors
but IN Germany they have experimented sum
Sisnty to shSw that the results obtained ,,S from
from human bslnEs The department doctors
The o sne
diphtheEia and found that these germs were
When these cases were followed up It was
healthy persons whose throsts contained viru-
lent diphtheriA bactlli. became sick Of the dis
sas sns Sh ls
Susnty thS source Of dDhts;s II other sh.
Il was found IL these cases where The germs
Sashsd out Nth mid antissDtiS solutions:
ne persons I, de did not 49,, as rule develop IL:
the healthy ssidrsn '0H IN any fanis . Rssrs
dtphthsria had broken out kept their throats
sslsspssd II this way. they were not likely to
Formerly e was customary to send away the
healthy children to places OF safety in case
diphtheria broke out In q family. This 10 now
deemed dangerous practice. Dr. Park knows
Of case last summer where diphtheria broke
ned homo for safety. Tho result was four
diphtheria epidemies in four different locali-
ties, tits recommended to keep tho healthy
children at home and under treatment. II
they are sent away Il should be to place
"A recent issue OF . medical journal questions
the benefit Of the departments work. because
APPARENTLY true Kebs-Loefier germs have
been found which failed to communicate the
disease. DIR. Park replies that when the germs
are found where the mem brane gives the APP
variAby true diphtheritic germs. and capable
OF causing dtphtheria in others Certainly not
more than two per, cent. found under such
conditions are harmless.
It has been the rule OF the department lot to
germs are found from an Examination OF the
cultures. Many hundreds OF cases OF non
dlphtherttlc sore threats have been followed
ppy the department and In no case has there
been any clear history Of eontAgion. although
throats In the same household. which might
nave been caused by exposure to the same
hsrttic sore throat
:. The guinea pigs are used to make sure that
are correct. Only about 500 4 year are used.
IThey come from the country house OF DR.. E.
". Lambert at New Canaan. Conn, whose SON
Dr Alexander Lambert 10 an enthusiastic |
pseteriologist- They have 2o7 pigs there now,
Du, tnsy DO not raise them Tor the medical
not ylVissction. Those Rigs which die Of diph-
therla are the subjects OF autopsisS. They are
'aIued a. 10 cents to 81 apiece.