The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1915-10-08
UBIOUITY OF THE
DIPHTHERIA BACILLUS
Widespread Prevalence of this Germ
Among Unsuspecting Persons.

1t has long been known that diph-
liberia germs are present in the
threats of many perfectly healthy per-
sons and that many cases of this dis
ease may be accounted for only by
their infection from such carriers. y
To what extent these germs occur
among healthy persons has been a
point that has never been definately
determined, some workers claiming
that as many as one in every twenty
persons carried these germs and dis
tributed them more or less indiscrim-
inately. To determine this point the
United States Public Health Service
conducted an investigation of the pre-
valence of diphtheria carriers in the
city of Detroit during the winter of
lo13-1o14. This investigation stands
as one of the most thorough and pain
stalking researches of its kind.
Should this report be read by all of
the inhabitants of Detroit over 1000 of
them would recall the visit of the
Health Officer" who examined their
noses and threats and took cultures
from both locations.
In the laboratory the officers of the
Service examined the 1888 cultures
taken from 40o3 persons; five bacter-
iologists examined the "smears" from
an average of 1853 cultures a day. The
result of this examination were that
nearly one per cent-.928%o to be ex-
act-of all the persons examined was
found to carry diphtheria germs in
their threats or noses or both.
One per cent does not ordinarily
sound large to the average person,
but let us see what it means to the in
dividual. In time of epidemic prevail
ence probably one in every hundred
persons he meets has diptheria germs
in his throat and in all probability on
his hands and clothes as well, since it
is one of the most common practices
in the world to put the hand to the
mouth. 1t is probable that
the average individual comes
in contact with hundred or
more persons every day and is hence
practically daily exposed to infection
with diphtheria. Some persons, main
ly those remaining at home, associate
with but few, but other members of
the household are not so isolated.
School children come in close con-
tact often with more than a hundred
others in day. Occasionally one may
even see hundred persons on sin
gle street car and none will doubt
that many more than that number
will cough into the air of a moving
picture threatre during an evening.
To demonstrate further what one
per cent means, let us see what are
the actual figures. In 1914 the off
cial census of Detroit was 537, $50. One
per cent of this is 1916 1t would be
difficult indeed for anyone living in
Detroit to avoid contact with one,
two, five or more of these 1916 des-
seminators of diphtheria germs. Nor
is there reason to believe that in time
of epidemic the figures for any other
large community are lower in proper
ton.
These data gathered by the Public
Health Service as we'll as data of the
same nature obtained by other work
ers, demonstrate one of the many
reasons for personal care of the throat
and nose, avoidance of too intimate
contact with others, and the necessity
of early preventative measures in the
case of those suffering from sore
throat" and LESSONS suspicious of diph-
liberia.