The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1902-01-12

surgeons came to know more about the
Fintracerebral method through practical
experience 1t would prove to be the long
scught cure for tetanus. However, since
his operation. several experts abroad and
here have done seemingly precisely what
he did. and have failed utterly in some
cases. He Is hopeful, however, and be-
lieves that the few psychologists and
surgeons who are paying especial at
tention to the anti-toxin treatment will
determine something positive before
long.
The leading American authority on te-
tanus. particularly the METEOROLOGICAL
features. is DR.. Alexander Lambert, pro-
lessor Of clinical medicine In Cornell Med
ical School. visiting physician to Belle
ivue Hospital and expert advisor to the
New York Board of Health. He has been
making a close study 'of the disease for
seven years. and has found that tetanus
poison Is the most deadly yet discovered.
1t requires only 23-100 OF a milligram to
prove fatal in a man Weighing It's pounds,
whereas 1t requires 25l100 OF a milligram
of cobra venom. 81 millsrams of prussic
acid. and 30 to 100 mllligrams of strych-
nine. And the tetanus poison is not only
most treaeherons In Its action, but its
bacilli Turk In common places and may
attack any part of the body that has
Jaw was to be feared only from rusty
nail wound in the hand or sole of the
foot or from a gunshot wound has been
set aside forever. A small pimple may
catch enough tetanus bacilli to prove
fatal. AS there are reports of cases
called fdiopathic, In which the cause has
been unknown, there being no abrasion
Of the. skin some doctors say that Sc
we're catarrhal Inflammation of the nose
hTnnOhtaI lhagA f,1x,s - too
ton.
When DR.. Lambert made sure that any
external wound might catch tetanus bac-
I'LL he sought to bring to the attention
OF all hospital STATS In New York the i'm
portance of preventive measures in treat
Ing wounds. He advised thorough appli-
cations of carbolic acid or silver nitrate
solutions, or, better, iodine. Iodine Is
sure death to the tetanus bacilli il ap.
piled at once. The doctor has used il
himself and knows its efficacy, ana also
the pain 1t causes.
One day in his laboratory he broke a
vial containing tetanus germs and
enough OF them to kill dozen men were
spilled into deep cut on his finger He
says he couldn't help shuddering for a
moment. Then he washed the cut with
carbolic acid and later poured iodine into
IT. The pain from the iodine was so Sc
his face while he paced up and down
room In which he had shut himself When
the pain let UP a little he poured on more
iodine. Five days later he was startled
by suspicious twitchng. but he has not
been troubled since with any develop
ment OF the disease.
Lockjaw. DR.. Lambert says, has become
less common since the advent of antisep-
TIC surgery and Is now usually consid-
a IN t...A IA
Quent occurrence in New York city than
is generally supposed There is a tetanus
oelt-New York City, Brooklyn and the
south shore OF Long Island. Back of
Cabright, y. j., Is another belt, and the /
disease is not uncommon In New Orleans |
Jamaica and Cuba are fertile in tetanus
germs. DIR. Williams OF the New York 4
Health Department has twice obtained
tetanus bacilli from the air In the city. |
Whiie the germs are found almost ex-
on the surface of the ground.
they have been obtained abundantly at |
q depth Of six or seven feet They have
been found in the dirt on streets, In the
dust In rooms of houses. in the mortar of |
old masonry. in hay dust in the dust
from horses hair, in the water of the
Dead Sea, and in the arrow heads of
certain savages in the New Hebrides.
The savages knew well the deadly te-
arrow
head with dirt from crab holes in the
swamps.
A popularity OF the germ is that II
grows without air. and is called an an
aerobe II Is in shape slender round
ended rod. usually occurring singly. hut
in cultures often growing in long threads.
It's growth in the animal organism is
comparatively scanty, and is usually in
association with other germs. 1t remains
of inf
poison through the body in the blood.
Just why tetanus does not occur mora
frequently is question that puzzles the
DOCTORS The chief reason is that the
body contains some agent that resists
the tetanus bacili in ordinary conditions.
When there is less resistance there is
And there is never any way |
OF ascertaining whether a person is in |
fected until lockjaw develops. and then |
u Is usually too late to do anything more
than hope.
The preventive idea of DR.. I.amberts- |
treatment of all cuts and gunshot wounds |
with iodine-is, therefore. of principal i'm
portance. y
About month ago there was a news |
paper. scare over what was called lock-
jaw from vaccination In Camden. N. i
There were several deaths among school
chiidren. DR.. Lambert says that tetanus
was not caused by the vaccination. int
was secondary. The germs were intro
duced into the wounds by the bandages
used upon them. There was no doubt
about the presence of plenty of tetanus
bacilli In Camden. The vaccination was.
however. antiseptc and properly done.
and II antiseptic bandages had been used
all the time in the children's homes there
would not have been 'tetanus epl-
demic.''