Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1901-03-25
GREAT ANTITOXlNE
CHICAGO HEALTH DEPARTMENTS
GOOD REPORT.
RECORD OF FIVE YEARS
Death Rate From Diphthera and All
Group Lowered Nearly Forty-Two
Per Cent.-Success not Exagger-
ated-GratefuI News for Parents.

Antitoxin treatment of diphtheria
ranks with vaccination as life-saver,
according to the results of five years
use by the Chicago health depart
ment. These results are set forth in
the monthly report Of the department,
showing benefits which the depart
ment admits will "strike the average
reader as Incredible Taking the leg
islative value of a human .life-$5, 900
-as basis, it is estimated that with
in the last five years the use of anti
toxin has saved the sum of $22,780,000
in Chicago, the saving in the last year
being placed at S5,900,000.
Five years ago the department un-
dertook the treatment of diphtheria
and all-croup with antitoxin. 1t is
largely due to the persistence with
which the department urged and
practiced the use of the preventive
that there are now a larger number
of physicians using antitoxin in Chi
cago than in any other city of the
world
When the department began to use
antitoxin the annual average of deaths
in the city from diphtheria and all.
Group was 1882. For the five years
preceding the undertaking the aggre-
gate of deaths from these causes had
been TALL. The general results at
tending the undertaking are summed
up in the statement that for five years
since that period the aggregate OF
deaths was 1909. The annual NOR
tality rate before was 11.23 per 10000
of population; that of the period fol
lowing was SAB per 10000 of popula
ton. These figures show a reduction
in the five-year antitoxin period from
the five-year pre-antitoxin period OF
nearly AZ per cent in the actual mum
Der of deaths. and of nearly So pei
cent. in the mortality rate of this class
of deaths.
These figures will strike the aver
age reader as incredible" is the Ian
guage of the report, prepared by
Health Commissioner Reynolds, "and
yet they are an understatement
Il
even of those directly engaged in the
work, realize the enormous financial
interests involved in sanitary science
and preventive medicine-to whose
domain the antitoxin treatment OF
diphtheria belongs not less distinctly,
than does vaccination against small
pox."
The health department undertook
the treatment of diphtheria among the
poor and destitute of the city in Octo-
Der, 1895-among those unable to pay
for medical attendance and for whom
at the time there was only the provi-
sion afforded by the overcrowded
wards of the county hospital. At tho
close of the five-year period the re-
suits show: Cases intubated, 585;
intubated cases recovered, All; per
cent. recovered, 1929; per cent. died,
28.71; treated with immunizing doses,
1881; subsequently attacked, rs; per
cent. of cases subsequently attacked,
051
During this period the total number
of cases reported was 1858, of which
number 1882 were bacterially veri-
fed as true diphtheria. There were
5,727 cases teated with antitoxin, the
remaining 255 either refusing antitox-
in or being treated by other physi-
clans, in which cases the results wers
not known. OF the cases treated by
the health department, 1888 recovered
and $50 died.
These results are attributed by tho
department and it's inspectors" said
the report, primarily and most import.
antly to prompt administration of an.