Evening journal., 1897-10-27
CAUSED BY ToRN.UP STREETS.
Pemphfgus Acutes Contagious and n
painful nut Not Dangerous Disease.


Painful hut Not Dangerous Disease.
Besides being the cause Of business as
sienments, legal disputes and various
other things, the building OF the con-
duits during the past spring and sum
mer is now said to be responsible for
new and rare disease that is making its
nupearance in a number of families in
The northern part of the city. Dr. Heine
Marks, the eminent specialist, says he
mas in the last several days run across
nbout u cases Of the painful and veN-
ntious aflliction.
The scientific name Of the rare malady
Is pemphigus acutes contagious Ac-
cording to DR.. Marks, tits not seen once
In 500 cases, and during his years of
practice he has but once before in his
career found a case similar to it, that of
a 1e-year-old girl, about eight years
ugo. The disease is very contagious
and spreads rapidly through family
when once il makes a start. In "a hours
it can reach every member of the fam
ily, saws the doctor. Rather than an
epidemic, he would call il an endemic,
as he says it seems TO be confined to
one particular section Of the city. Not
q single one of his acquaintances in
medical cipcles with whom he has dis
cussed the subject was aware of its ex-
isience in this city.
DIR. Marks says the first symptom Of
the peculiar disease is the appearance
of blisters on various parts Of the face,
the palm of the hand or the soles Of the
feet. These blisters, he says, are full
Of some kind of serum. They are most
prevalent with children. although his
assistant Or. ]. II. Kerens, has had
three OF fonr cases where grown men
had been ttacbed with the malady. Be
sides the places mentioned, on some of
the men they were first discovered on
the calvesiof the legs.
These lolisters. says the doctor, otter
ward break and run together on the
I patient, forming one continuous scab
4 1t affects nearly the entire human sys
: TEN, but it is more painful and vexa
= tious than dangerous. The disease is q
microbic one. The air has become con
a taminaGed. Dr.. Marks says, by the i'm
}. mense amount of excavation that hal
, been msde since the beginning of las
spring.
! The disease is very contagious.
n woman called on the doctor with he
: eight-mo nths-old baby one day 70
e treatment for the little one. The mex
day the doctor also treated her for tn
!. same dissnse- The blisters make thei
: appearan ce suddenly, and before III
=; patient is hardly aware of it he or sh
is a mass.of scabs.
u Dr. Mar9Ss'says the disease has battle
q medical science, and while the vie'
. given above he thought was a correc
10 one, yet there was more diversity c
opinion among the profession on thi
one malady than any other AS an II
stance of it's rarity he cites statistic
gatheredby-the American DermBtolog
~ ~ aal society between the years 1873 an
7 1887. in which. out OF 127,74o cases, br
10 ls3 had been diagnosed as pemphigu
W DR.. Kapotsi, aneminent dermatologis
reported about the same time that OF
Of $4,000 cases notimore than $50 coul
be oscribod to thissdisease- The path
logical conditions Of the disease bid IA
to be q lnfstter Of dispute for some tin
F. to come.
nj The tre$t1nent for the malady is Il
same.as in constitutional diseases. tt
main necessity is 10 keep the syste,
I well regulated. There were some TIN
u claimed that in a. majority Of cases
fatal termination, is the result, but Il
~ doctor does not think it so serious
as this.-St. Louis Republic.