Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-04-03

| tiAS VI an. Lie OulcI surface is UdlHcu
by the cerebro- spinal fluid. The Sc
we're pain. headache that is one of the
| most prominent symptoms of meningi-
It's. comes from the fact that intiamma-
tlon produces an excess of fluid which
| nils all the lymph spaces and exerts
| pressure on the brain and nerve GEN.
| tres
Inc most common type of meningi-
| us Is the tuberculouS. occurring in pa
tients fatally affected with tuberculo-
| SIS. injection of the meninges is due
| 10 transfer of the tuberculosis bacil-
| JUS. probably through the blood to
lymph streams. Next common is me-
| ning'tis produced by one of the pus-
| forming bacteria. This in most in
stances is a result of suppurative dis
ease of the inner ear. the bacteria
| working along the auditory nerve until
| they reach the brain and infect the
mehlhges; an infection may extend to
the Dfain III similar fashion from the
eEe-socket. The reserve process is Of
ten seen III Cases of recoveries from
! meningitis. which are apt to be followed
by ear and eye troubles of much seri-
BUSINESS. In such cases the disease. at
lacking the brain ana nerves. works
along to the eye and ear. and the pa
I ticnt is sometimes. in consequence,
made deaf and blind. Deaf -mutism
sometimes results. along with blindness
Another form of meningitis is due to
migration of the germ of pneumonia,
and ii is not very uncommon with that
disease. Other germs. like those of ty-
phus, typhoid. anthrax and Influenza.
sometimes cause meningitis in connec-
ton with the presence of one Of those
diseases. All these forms of meninei-
It's are known as secondary meningitis:
i. e.. they are 4 tranSplanting of Il dis
ease already far advanced in some
other part of the body, to the meninges
Of the brain and cord. Although they
are associated with infectious diseases
they cannot properly be called infec-
tiOus in themselves: that title belongs
10 primary disease.
Epidemic cerebro- spinal meningitis
Is a primary disease. not mere trans
planting of harmful bacteria from an
other part of the body. 1t is caused
by an organism identified i'm 1887 by
Weichselbaum. and completely deter
mined in 1S95--the scientific name of
the plant is diplococcus mtracellularis
meningtidis. Ii sesms to be of low
vitality. and is but slightly harmful to
other animals than man: he appears to
be its proper host. Ii belongs to the
class of bacteria that flourish only in
the substance of the living body. In
some instances. however. it gets used
to a different mode of life and ekes out
a subsistence on the surface of the ma
sal membranes. In some of such in
stances the nasal membranes are so
infiamed as to suggest that the organ
ism may make it's way in pus cells. |
through the thin lpne between the ma
sal passages and the brain, and so start |
meningitis. Where the organism |
comes from before settling in the hu-
man body, is not known. 1t is rather |
difficult to identify under the micro
scope. and this. with it's low vitality and |
its slight harmfulness to the lower ami
mails has so far prevented discovery of |
its migrations.
Expert opinion that this form of me-
Einsitis is infectious is. strictly speak
ing, an inference from the way in which |
sporadic cases of the same type some
times multiply into an epidemic. In
righteousness is reasonable expana-
ton. not disproved by the fact that it |
is not known how the disease is trans |
ferred from one person to another !
Epidenlics of 1t are slow in developing. |
generally occupying about a year. as
was the case in Boston in 1861. The /
greatest number of cases i'm an epidem-
ic comes in the winter and the spring
months. Presumably the spread Of |
the disease is due to some conditions
that depresS human resistance to it, or |
Increase for time the vitality of the
germ itself. Nothing is known as to
what these conditions may be- Varia-
tons in sanitary circumstances do not
account for epidemics. though bad
conditions of course lower the resisting
power of the body
Mortality in epidemic meningitis varies
widely. from about twenty to sixty per
cent. though 1t Is sometimes higher. No
cure for the disease is known some cases
recover of themselves. though the after
eHects In these are apt to be serious.
The only measure at all curative is tap
ping the spinal cord in the lumbar region
the lower blacksmith a hollow needle,
ana by that means withdrawing the ex-
cess OF fluid in the cavities of the
meninges. This is also the means to :.
sure decision what the disease is In the
early stages Of epidemic meningitis the
fluid contains the bact,rium, and its
identification settles the nature of the
case. Withdraw wal of part OF the fluid. OF
course. lessons TIE pressure on the nerve
centres. and in that way lessons the
pain. Lumbar puncture is but slightly |
painful, and mas proved entirely harm
less 1t is infinitely to be preferred, as Il
curative measure, to the experiment of
trephning. just attempted In New York
I here a disk was removed from the skull
OF a boy apparently about to die OF the
disease, and in the week since then h.
has greatly improved. The effect was
merely to drain OF the excess of fluid |
while this was accomplished by q rather
operation. in place Of the
method of puncture. II
Symptoms, especially violent ones, like
drawing back of the Eeck, delirium ae-
we're pain. coma. are dangerous matters
for the public to concern itself with when
there is any question of an epidemic. par !
of a pretty deadly disease.
Epidemic meningitis can be detected with
some certainty by other signs than recog- ,
milton of the bacterium in 1he qutd. But :
The secondary forms Of meningitis oner
many pitfalls, even to physicians, ana
IAN be absolutely settled only by bacter1-
illogical tests. Let not the layman there. Z
fore, watch himself for symptoms OF
merlin gifts What doctors often fail on
will be sure to baff1e Min. and leave him