The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-06-18
what Lockjaw L.

DID Y0u know that since the tntfoduc'
ton Of the toy pistol and giant cracker
the number OF lives sacrificed yearly in
the celebration Of the Fourth Of July
has averaged about four hundred the
greatest mortality being from fireworks
used on the Fourth in 1908. when the
number tabulated BY the Journal Of the
American Medical association was four
hundred and sixty.six, Of which three
hundred and sixty-three we're from teta.
nus caused by toy pistolsi
When lockjaw, or tetanus, is about
to develop, the wound from which the in.
lection has come and which has probably
been healing, gets irritable, red and ten.
der, and pains shoot up the nerves toward
the spine. The first evidence Of the
seizure is nearly always in the nerves
which control the muscles IN grinding
food and the Jaws become rigidly closedi
Aence the name given to the disease.
The muscles Of the throat become SO sem
sItlve that they resist the passing Of
food. making It painful and difficult to
swallow The muscles Of the face take
q fixed position. with lips retracted, ex-
posing the teethi the brow is wrinlxled
and the eyes stare, giving the coun.
tenance q mixed expression Of anguish
and laughter, producing the "sardonie"
expression peculiar TO tetanus The RI
gidity Of the muscles next extends TO the
body and its extremities and the victim
becomes helpless, stiifened- Often the
muscles Of the back are drawn so tense
that the body Is bent like a bow. resting
on the head and heels. Less frequently
II Is bent forward OF to one side. IN the
beginning Of the attack the rigidity is
not constant and does not affect all the
groups of muscles equally, and may pass
from one 70 another group with inter
walls Of complete relaxation.
But the spasms become more frequent
and severe and are presently excited by
the slightest muscular effort So ex-
quisitiely excitable are the nerves that
mere touch, a current Of air, the re-
Election of light from any bright OBJ
iect, viii bring on a sudden spasm in
all the muscles ordinarily controlled by
the will: the face IS horribly distorted,
the spine bent, and the hands violently
clenched and drawn up So severe il the
contraction that muscles are sometimes
torn in two. During the eonvulsion there
is a severe pain through the stomach and
back. Immediately following the maxi
mum Of the paroxysm. the breathing
becomes easier and a little fluid may
be taken through a tube.
Unfortunately the mind 81 the sufferer
Is clear and his senses acute during the
attacks. Profuse sweats occur, and the
voice is dry, cultural and, at time I'm,
Ineligible Owing to the severe activity
of the muscles. loekiaw causes the high.
est fever ever seen, and the body temper
allure sometimes rises for an hour or
two after death. Finally the boy. your
boy, sinks from exhaustion or a severe
paroxysm arrests the breathing and
death terminates a disease which has
the worst terrors of meningitis, strych-
nine poisoning and hydrophobia, causing
an agony hardly TO be surpassed hy
the fortunes Of a martyrdom, and dis.
tress TO the helpless bystander which
Is unreasonable in words-From "The
Deadly Toy Pistol" in July Technical
World Magazine.