Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-12-18
DIPHTH{RIi DEATHS.
CAUSED BY NEGLECT
High Death Rate May be Pre-
vented; Is Both Prevent
able and Curable

The increase or diphthcria, especially
N tins State, and its relatively high death
-ate. Is causing considerable discussion
md IL directing the efforts of the State
Board Of Health toward giving the public
+ WIDER knowledge Of how "a prevent and
ure IT,
The germs of the disease are found in
INC throat and nasal passages OF persons
nho have the disease or persons who har-
h,r the disease without being sick ana
,ho arc known rs carriers Germs
.re readily transmitted n vel persons
- direct contact In coughing. sneezn~.
c-c., or hy handling articles that haas
.erv recently been infected by s p4tient
ar carrier TIE germs die n very slior,
me outside The human body.
When these germs hnd Judgement in
susceptible person, sore throat ) usually
'ea hrs- symptom Than 3 membrane
rms tht glands iii the neck bcco me cn-
.rCed the patient Is ieyerl>.l and mavNerv
sanidlv become seriously III In sane
,..scs the membrane forms u the laSnx
nd the patient may choke H, death II not
n ated pruuptlN L Is Therefore appar-
Mt that every sore thr al must be r.
-qrdcd Is . possible case 9f oIrhthcrla
4nd every person having al affected
throat must bc isolated until Tho nature
q the trouble can b. definitely determined
: physician should bC called i he con
iIon does not improve promptly and Z
'hnre Il the least suspicion OF dlpLther!a
aucit0Sn should he used a. once without
> ating for the report from The laboratory
Il some cases Il tiiphthe-Ia 81 ne iarynA
i = almost Impossible tu obtain POSITIVE
1ituIe snd faliure = treat such = suspect
case - Giphthcrla might result il tbs
Ieati OF the patient, D.ph.herIs develops
-4pldlN sId 3 chlld whO J, only slightly
.ullspoae1 81 night may be dangerously
I. bv morning ADlcoxln administered
i the first susplcIon O. dIpGjheTIa viii
csuse 9 speedy recovery. The state
BoaTd q Health does not require THAI
positive cultures shall be obtained before
case Is reported as dipltnerla. The
shoratOry = cf cunfIrrnator- value and
; great and ID doubtful diagnosis buI 8
negative report must not take precedence
over I physician : clinical history Cf
dipttherla.
When ! case has advanced before g
physician ls called so that considerable
membrane has formed five or ten thousand
.nits Of autltonr should be administered
Il once and the dose should be repeated
-verv six or eight hours uufl. improvement
= shown In no case Of this kind should
s small dose or Z single injection be toIer-
ated, unless immediate Improvement is
noted La many cases parents neglect
to call phygcian until the child Is past
relief but IL many other cases the failure
y the phys.rlan 70 give Z large dose Of
antitOxin Immediately is tbo cause of the
death Il the case proves not 10 be dIph-
iberia No material harm viii have beer
lone by the injection Of the antitoxin
Before the introduction Of the use Of
lntitoun II 1894 one out of every three
children VINO had diphtheria died. Now
I antitoxln is used on the first or second
dav OF the disease at least 98 per cent Of
the patients recover. A death from
1ptheria can therefore be safely charged
-.a neglect on the part Of the parent or
physician