The sun., 1901-03-17
LOCKJAW'S DEADLY GERM,
ODD WAYS ~ WHICH TETANrs MAY
ENTER THE SYSTEM.

| Inc nhc1nus Lurks In Dirt and Any Scratch
May Admit h-Cass- From Toy Pistols,
Diving and Bare Feet -- Danger From
Fishes Also .-Dtstressins sympton,s Of IN,
Dissase-Chances Of Recovery Increasing.
The lockjaw bacillus Is formidable beast
II Is inseparable from dirt Down on Lon,
Island. where the tetanus bacilli most 90
congregate the miorobe ought to be used
as bugaboo for sea ring dirty younsst.r,
into reformation. Dirty hands. lurkny
bacillus. scratch or cut-and the mischie,
10 done
The unenightcned public persists in asso-
ciating all lockJaw with rusty nails. ans
| quite refuses TO accept the bacillus thar wa.
| formally introduced in 1885 As a matter
| OF fact. the NALL only function il the maxim,
| Of wound through which the poison can
enter the system. and an oyster shell or .
toy pistol can serve the purpose OF the bacilu,
| quite as well as nail
| Why this bacillus should be espe,iayv
prevalent in certain localities scientist,
| do not explain but the fact remains Tn.
Shrewsbury River Is a happy hunting ground
| for the beast. and a clam shell taken OIL, q,
| the mud down there. may inflict scratch
that will mean death All Long Island mud
is full Of the bacillus. and the fact that Lon,
|
volumes for their cleanliness. war. Il not t,st
exposure to sunlight kills the bacillus i'm.
| medistely. and so the sun fights for the nrs
servation Of the Long Island species
New York itself isn't nhospitahle N ~.
fetanus bacillus, In 1890 there were nlne,y
deaths from lockiaw in New York CITY ana
its vicinity. many Of the cases being d,,
| to accidental wounds made hv toy p,s,c,,
on the Fourth Of July. The pistol wound.
! IN themselves would not have bothored ~,
small boys more than on any other Four,h.
| Probably there were no moro Of the woYnI,
| than there usually are on tha, glorious dav.
| but. unluckily for the owners of the p,stols
| lockjaw bacllli we're ont in tramendou, nun.
bers Tint season and seized the opportunity
| offered by the pistol wounds No boy "a,
| celebrate the Declaration of Tndependends
| properly and keen his hands clean 50 thers
was no escaping the lurking foe
| Last wear two cases Of loCkiaw in this ci'y
| were dueto abraSions on the head. caused Nv
| diving in shallow water The diver in ea,1
case struck his head against something sha-,
| on the river bottom, and the bacillus IN 80
mud entered through tho cut, causing lock iay
| within n few hours
| A wound upon The face or head, " affected
| by the bacillus, will be more dan gerous tDln
! wound upon the foot or hand The poison.
| ing develops more rapidly and Is mora vi.-
/ lent IN form a large majority, ~ lock'Gv
cases originate in the feet or hands Of the sui
| ferers because those parts of the body are
| most exposed
In warm climates the disease is moro CON.
! mon than in colder localities, not hocauss
| The germ revels IN heat. hut because the feet
! are less heavily shod IN warm countrrs and
so are more liable TO injury
| For the same reason. in the South, more rn-
| Rroes than Caucasians have IoCkl6w Ita
| negro makes practice OF gong barefoot a,i
| his feet are frequently scratched or cu' In
! one recent mild case Of ftetanus poison, caused
| by stepping upon nail, New York doctor
nnaiyzed leather scrapngs taken from the
| shoe. around the point of incsiou, and found
| them full OF tctanus baClli which had been
| rubbed from the nail in its passas se through
! the thick leather Had the patient foot been
bare. the germs would have entered th"
Another New York doctor tells Of several
cases Of lockiaw which he has tIee'e..
| while at his summer home. and which hav"
| been caused by the introduction Of tho tetanus
| bacillus through wounds made by the horns
I have known Of tetanus poisoning from
| cuts made by fish flus and from lobster ciavs
and from oyster or clam shell said The doIrr
SrS rGp055&a & 2nd tbo1 adyse sfbs be Ge @
on he ash or the she'll but It is on the dirty
have dirty hands and 10 get occasional
scratches in handling Ash
| The mosquito carries the tetanus bacillHs
| whero the bacillus Is plentiful cases of lock
| Jaw for which no cause could AZ iirH 20
found have been traced 10 mosquito bites
In violent cases Of lockiaw the poison
| toXine may develop and produce alarming
| symptoms within. few hours after me en-
ranoe y, me nains NJ ,hs o,1oa q; p hs o,tssr
| The trouble shows first in soreness and
stiffness Of the side peck muscles. and grad
uaE sigh, spasi1 % sse n"Sfe SIosrcap eni
| extend 10 The muscles al he back Of the no U.s.,
and then 20 the entire spine and trunk lh"
| abdominal and chest muscles become rgd,
| and the spine is ordinarily curved Tho
| face takes on grimaces, with the forehead
| iurrowed the, angles OF the mouth draw
| hack into n grin. and the jaw firmly set ara
| this facial expression, IN connection WIN ,l"
| hoarse noise made bv the sufferer. rendeT.
| A case Of violent tetanus poisoning on" o'
| the most fri ghttu sights In the range OF med
| ical experience Chronic convulsons sweep
| over the body, at intervals more and mos
| frequent. a. the case becomes more violent.
| the slightest noise or Jar or even cnirfhI
| Of air being enough TO bring on one oI -
spasmS. II is only during these coUvusion'
| that the paten suffers pain.
Mild cases may last several weeks hu' N
| acute cases, death occurs in from oneto seven
| days. and then mortality ia very high "
| is estimated that about 90 per cent OF The
| cases end fatally, and, among infants. there
! isno recovery The mortality from locklaW Is.
| however, decreasing, as knowledge OF We
! nature OF the disease becomes more wld"-
spread and physicians learn how 70 treat Il
| Analysis has shown that tetann poison 70
| much like strychniro poison IN IA ehec'-'
| though much stronger, and various eype''
ments have been made TO find an anutoNn
! thAt will neutrali7e the poison. While 20
| results have rot been thoroughly satisiR'-
| tory. prompt incubation with tetanln ert-
| toxin Is undoubtedly valuable in MANY cn,'s
| aud should always be tried. If that Is possln.'.
| Thorough caUterizstion Of the wound
| necessary, and, i done promptly, will "rd-
| nary prevent danger; but the difficulty .
| that the wound If often TOO slight TO occss \
| any notice or alarm until after the toNn
| has developed and tho harm IL done
| When the disease is once fully developed
| the physician has dirNcult proposition uron
his hands. Tho patient is relaxed by the nss
| Of chloroform. and hvpodermiC -norph'ns
| and bromide injections are given. Hot ApI :
| cations are sometimes beneficial The No
| tient is kent In dark room and absolutely
quiet. the slightest excitement being enonrn
| to bring on commissions II there ia no too'!
| missing In tha patients closed Jaw u is ny
unusual to extract one so that n stomach
| tube NAV he passed through the olening ~
nourishment given In that way, Arif'' ~
| resniraton is often necessary. A case de-;
velopng before the sixth day has chances ~
recovery. hut. II the trouble docs not apN"f
| until after the twelfth dav. there Is comparA-
10 a.. hpYa Fnv tk.,V V,gtt