Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1907-05-10
THAT DREADED MALADY.
Something About it-Cer Obro
spinal Meningitis.

spread interest II and discu sion
of the disease, the Gazette pub
lishes the following excellent ar
ticle on cerebrospinal meningitis,
from the. pen of DR.. B. A. Cathey
of this city:
Cerebrospinal meningitis, the
disease which has been visiting
recently the cities of Seattle and
Portland and their vicinities, is
frequently incorrectly called spi'
nal meningitis.
The term spinal meningitis
means an Inflammation of the COW
ering membranes of the spinal
cord only, while the disease it is
intended to represent is an inham-
nation of the covering menu
branes of both the spinal cord
and the brain, or cerebrum, with
the accumulation of inhammatory
product which may be trans
formed into pus. Hence the
name cerebrospinal meningitis.
The infectious principle is
formed in the above. mentioned
fluid portion of which can be
drawn by means OF a hollow ned.
die being introduced between the
vertebrae in the lower part of the
spine. =
This disease is also known by
the names, cebrospinal fever,
spotted fever aud petechial fever,
the latter two having been so
called on ascount of the spots
that are present in the skin in
about 50 per cent of the cases.
The first definite description of
this infection was in 1905 by a
physician in Genoa, Switzerland.
Its first appearance in America
was in Med6eld, Massachusetts.
in 1906. During the following
ten years the malady broke out in
America and Europe. e.
From 1916 to 1922 there were
no cases reported, but in 1928 it
occurred in Ohio. Not any very
large numbero! deaths was caused
by it in any one place, however,
until in 1889, at which time a
mortality of IS per cent occurred
in the town of Versailles and its
garrison. Since this time epi-
denies have occurred in the
u tied States with varying NOR
tality.
The disease is infectious but
probably not contagious; that is to
say, there is an infectious princi-
pie probably in certain atmos-
pheric conditions which if inhal-
| ed bv a susceptible person, will
produce the disease; but the in
dividual suffering from the dis
| ease is not capable of transmit
ting it to others by simple pres
ence in the same rooms as he
might measles, scarlet fever:
diphtheria or mumps.
Epidemic cerebrospinal fever
the name bv which the disease
| should be called-is probably al
ways produced by the same in
| fective agent. i. e. the ''diplococ-
/ Gus intracellularis meningitides,"
while spinal meningitis, or cere-
brospinal meningitis, NAV some
!. times be caused by other infec-
! t,ous micro-organisms, as that OF
pneumonia, or influenza and
Iotbers.
| Just how this infectious princi-
lple is transmitted, is not definite
lily known. 1t may effect one
city or locality, skip another. and
attack another beyond. 1t does
not seem to follow any lines OF
! travel, but may occur about the
same time in remote and widely
scattered localities.
/ The sanitary conditions of q
town seem to exert no influence
in inviting the prevalence of the
ldlsease as it will ometimes at.
tack the more cleanly cities leav
ing the unsanitary ones untouch.
ed. '''F ."> --@
i No certain method of prevent
ing epldemics of this scourge ha
vet been discovered. Fortunate
ly, however, they are SO rare tina
many physicians have never eve:
seen a case, while there are other
that have witnessed more tha,
lone eOif3e mir