The herald., 1895-06-01
LOS ANGELES DOCTORS MEET
Talk About Differential Diagnosis of
Diphtheria
of Commerce Assembly Hsii-croup
and Diphtheria Compared

There was q meeting of the Los Ange-
les County Medical association last even
ing in the assembly room of the chamber
of commere. Dr. q. D. Fitzgerald presi-
ded and called the meeting to order at
o'clock.
The subject for discussion was an
nounccd to be Differential Diagnosis OF
Diphtheria, and Pseudo Membr branons
Group.
DR.. W. W. Hitchcock read short paper
on the subject, in which he spoke OF al lh-
iberia as deadly disease. for winch there
was no known remedy: OF the similarity
between some of its symptoms ana those
of membranous Group; OF the dilhcnIties
of diagnosis: its SIMPLE seeming ana the
appearance of skin. cIc. OF the anti-toN-
inc, knebs- Soeifier bacilli and ether rene
dies and their effects. lie cited instances
to illustrate his points: spoke uf the
length of time after the cure was effected
before the danger of ini, ction was over.
and recommended the placardlng OF
houses by the health officer after the
cases had been examined and pronounced
to he ciphtheria.
DIR. Davidson. being called upon 10
open the discussion, modestly dlscialmeu
any knowledge i'll the matt r. ana then
promptly roceeded TO make the peril
nent suggestion that the health officer
should know something about bacterlol-
ogy. There is no bacterioosist i'll the
office, no appropriation i'll the c.ty OF
state foI maintain ng one. The heaiti
officer should. according to DIR. Davidson,
do scientific work and be capable to do ii,
instead of inspecting back yards ana
clearing them our. There ar iew among
the Practitioners who are na,terluio1lsts;
they don't usually make bactciologicai
experiments IN suspected cases OF u'p-
liberia, but treat them until they ma OUT
whether or not they are genuine.
DR.. Schwabe spoke decidedly against
meteorological expcrin ent; siid IT was
not well to trust to any one sign Tor d's-
ease, and illustrated by n number OF ~
stances where the bactcrioloeical eXrerl-
ments had failed: contended that III sucii
case half the town might be isolated NJ
once, the schools shut up. and took a gen
orally pessimistic view o: the question.
lie compared Group and diphther'a, spoke
of the poisonous and non-polsonous
bacili and he said that diphtheria
WASH t of necessity infectious.
DR.. Iost. on the other hand. held that
to dffercntiate acuto diphtheria from
diphtherelic Inflammation that might en-
SIZE from wounds, ETC.. that the bacterlo-
logical experiments were essential
DR.. +. b. Bulard suggested the advisa-
bility of starting a laboratory in southern
California where batteriological expert
ments might be made, and estimated
something of what the cost might be for
establishing and maintaining one. DR..
Bulard gave a number of instances where
the diphtheretic serum had been used to
his personal knowledge with most
wonderfully quick and sure results.
DR.. Schwalbe said he had known cases
where the results had not been satisfac-
tory. A few other remarks were made on
the subject; a little business transacted
in executive session and the meeting ad-
iournei. There were between twenty-five
and thirty physicians present.