Evening star., 1896-12-26
REPORTING DIPHTHERIA
How the Hsilh oSes b Determine. rrsssno.
sAof thu Disease.
Better Medod.- WIN Increase the
st"''.t,s'-1ae Tube. Sent in
cnd Examined.

A large nunber of cases of diphtheria
reported to fhe heAltf, Office is not alto.
sether the result af the prevalence in this
| city of that contagious disease. 1t is to a
considerable extent drought about by the
fact that many eases heretofore reported
merely as "sore throat are now reported
as diphtheria, because Of the improved
methods that have been adopted for as
certatning the character Of the disease
from which patients suffer.
DR.. j. E. Walsh. the medical and sanitary
inspector of the District in charge of diph-
iberia and scarlet fever cases, conducts a
little department on the top floor of the
District building in which the character of
throat troubles is determined. The meth
cd he pursues has been IN operation theo-
retically in this city for two years. but
Its practical use has been shown only since
the spread Of dtphtheria during the last
fall 1t is not new method. being in use
in other cities.
Under the direction of DR.. Walsh small
walls are left at all the drug stores in the
city and physicians are notified that in case
they have patient suffering from sore
threat and cannot, readily determine
whether the disease Is diphtheria, they
may do so through the health department:
Each OF these walls contains small
amount OF gelatin, and a physician wish
ing to determine the, character of his pa
tient's throat trouble takes a small guam
tity. of mucus from the throat. places it on
this gelatin and sends 1t to the health
office. If there are germs In the mucus
they are readily developed on the gelatin,
where they forra little colonies. Then it
is an easy matter to determine by a mi
crcscopic examination whether they are
diphtheria germs or germs OF a. harmless
character. =.
The day after the vial containing the
germs has been sent to the health office
the physician sending it is notified OF the
oh hornN NfAr nf Ah4 A q INV nj "
sicians have adopted the practice of send
ing to the District building for investiga-
tion the mucus from the throats Of any pa
tients in which cases he has the least
In this way many cases that In former
times have been treated and passed by as
merely ordinary sore throat are shown
In reality to be diphtheria, and it is con-
tistics of the present year will exceed
former years regard to number largely
from the fact of more complete diagnosis
OF the cases. Any one who has the least
throat trouble may now determine without
a doubt whether they suffer from diphthe-
ria or merely have a sore throat.
The number of cases that are sent to the
District building for examination vary ac-
ccrding to the weather. When sore throats
are very prevalent as the result of inclem-
ent weather. eighteen, twenty or twenty
five walls may be sent for examination but
the fine weather that has prevailed during
VIZ poot SS'eIdi udyS has run the NUMBER
OF such examinations down until they
amount to only six or eight per day.
Inc work being doffe In the District build
Ing In makingfthes examinations is in ac-
cord with the most approved methods
known to the ,nedisal science. and is re-
garded as a great advance over the past
system of making Examinations by little
less tnan guessing. .ti1n a few instances
PHYSICIANS have thelHpparatus for making
these investigations in their own offices,
put most OF Them are without such ap-
ance they get ifrom'the health Office they
would be helpless tosapply these scientific
methods.