The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1909-06-16
WHAT LOCgJAW IS.

WHAT LOCKJAW II.
Did you know that since the intro
duction 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 hum
bred. the greatest mortality being
from fireworks used on the Fourth in
1903, when the number tabulated by
the Journal Of the American Medical
Association was four hundred and six
ty-six, Of which three hundred and
sixty three were from tetanus caused
by toy pistols?
When lockjaw. or tetanus. is about
to develop, the wound from which the
infection has come and which has pro-
Dably been healing gets irritable. red
aud tender, and pains shoot up the
nerves toward the spine. The first
evidence Of the seizure is nearly al
ways in the nerves which control the
muscles in grinding food and the jaws
become rigidly closed; hence the name
given to the disease. The muscles of
the throat become so sentative that
they resist the passing Of food, maxi
ing it painful and difficult to swallow.
The muscles Of the face take fixed
position. with lips retracted exposing
the teeth; the brow is wrinked and
the eyes stare. giving the countenance
a mixed expression Of anguish and
laughter, producing the tssardonic'
expression peculiar to tetanus. The
rightly Of the muscles next extends
to the body and it's extremities and
the victim becomes helpless, stiffened.
Often the muscles Of the back are
drawn 80 tense that the body is bent
like . bow. resting on the head and
heels. Less frequently it is bent for
ward or to one side. In the beginning
of the attack the rightly is not cop-
slant and does not affect all the groups
Of muscles equally, and may pass from
one to another group with intervals Of
complete relaxation.
But the spasms become more ire.
quent and severe and are presently
excited by the slightest muscula,
effort. So exuuisitely excitable arr
the nerves that q mere touch, . cur
rent Of air. the reflection of ligh
from any bright object, will bring Of
q sudden spasm in all the muscle
ordinarily controlled by the will: tn
face is horribly distorted, the spin
bent. and the hands violently clinche'
and drawn up. So severe is the con
traction that muscles are sometime
torn in two. During the convulsio
there is severe pain through tn
stomach and back. Immediately fol
lowing the maximum Of the paroxysm
the breathing becomes easier and
little fluid may be taken through
tube.
Unfortunately the mind Of th
sufferer is clear and his senses acut
during the attacks. Profuse sweat
occur, and the voice is dry, gutturs
and. at times. unintelliRible. OWN
to the severe activity Of the muscle,
lock jaw causes the highest fever eve
seen. and the body temperature some
times rises for an hour or two afte
death. Finally the boy. your boy
sinks from exhaustion or sever
paroxysm arrests the breathing an
death terminates disease which ha
the worst terrors of meningitis. strych
nine poisoning and hydrophobis. caus
ing an agony hardly to be surpasse
by the fortunes Of martyrdom, an
distress to the helpless bystande
which is unreasonable IN words
From The Deadly Toy Pistol. /" /
July Technical World Magazine.