The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-10-15
FRESH SUPPLIES
 OF ANTI-T0XINS
 ARE IMPORTANT
Dr. Reeks Urges Great Care Against Diphtheria. go CASES IN
 BRIDGEPORT NOW
Officers Should Take
 Greatest Precautions.

It is especially important at this time of the year for all health officers to have on hand a sufficient supply of diphthe-ia and tetanus antltoXin. It is equally important to know that the supply is not outdated. Outdated anUtCXin should be immediately re- turned for rep,acement.
 Diphther ant1toxiu is no longer supplied i'll 5000 unit packages as it is believed that this dose is too large for immupizing purposes and too small for therapeutic use. We sup ply 1000. 5000 and 1000 unit doses
 The early use Of anutoXin in clin- ical cases of diphtheria, without wait ing for the laboratory report on a culture, will save many lives and will make large doses unnecessary. The value of the laboratory report is to verify an early diagnosis and, partiC- ularly, to determine when a case is safe to be at large. When physicians are in doubt as to the clinical diag- nosis of diphtheria, advise them not to wait for the laboratory report, but to administer the antitoXin at once.
 The curative value of antitoxin de- bends almost entirely on the size of the initial dose and the time and
 
 cated dose varies from 5000 to 10000 units for ir eants under two years of age, from 5000 to 10000 for children under 15, and from 5000 to 40,O00 for adults, the amount depending on whether the case is moderate, severe or malignant When antitoxin is ad- ministed subCutaneousIy, at least 24 hours are required before the bulk of it can Do fully absorbed by the blood and carried to the tissues In tramuscular injections are absorbed four times faster and intrayenous in jections ten times faster. It is use less to administer a second or third dose before the first has been fully absorbed. In giving a divided dose we get only the effect of the first DOT tiOn during the interval required for its complete absorption. The safe plan is to give a single sufficient dose and to give it intram amu scuIarIy or in trayenously in severe or malignant cases
 It has been suggested at the Blu reau of Laboratories thac all health officers keep on hand Q supply of sterilized swabs for the taking of throat cultures. Physicians frequently have to wait until the health officer
  lays are liable to be fatal Health of fcers who are not supplied with diphtheria outfits are requested to send for them. Address: Bureau of Laboratories, 135 Huntington street, New Haven Conn.
 Health officers should notify all physicians in their towns as to where antitoXin and laboratory supplies can be promptly obtained
 Last week Dr. D. R. Rowland, act ing health officer of Stratford, cuI- tured the threats of 52O pupils at a school where diDhth~ria had ap- reared His promptness in taking this action to head off threatened cpl dernic is highly commendable
 This is the danger season for diDIl- therta infection. Every school house IS naole to have one or more mild, unrecogn1zed cases, and such cases are the greatest spreaders of the disease. Newspapers throughout the state can render a splendid service at this time by warning parents that even the slightest attack of sore throat in a child is conta gious, and that at the first indication of sore throat the child should be kept at home and a phy-si- elan called.
 The weekly report of communicable diseases is as follows; diphtheria. showing Q big increase over last week:
 | Diphtheria: Bridgeport. 20; Fair field '; Stamford (city), 3; stratford, | 3; Westport, f.
 Scarlet fever: Bridgeport, ?: Dan bury ?; Darien, 9; Stamford (city), l. Measles: Bridgeport, 2; Stamford i (city), 1.
 Typhoid fever: Bridgeport, 1. | in