The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-04
Frederic Haskin's Letter
Patriotism and Lockja.v.

Washington, d. C., July q
State laws or federal law to pro-
hibit the sale and use of toy pis-
tolls and giant firecrackers on the
Fourth of July are being urged
These are the toys which are re-
sponsibIe for the majority OF the
lockjaW cases in the United States.
Most of the cities have for some
years restricted the sale of fire.
works. Independence day is more
widely celebrated every year with
only municipal fireworks handled
by experts or with some entirely
different kind of entertainment AS
the cities had kept for some years
more or less complete records OF
the numerous Fourth Of July cas-
ualties, a Fourth without locktaw
deaths and children left without
arms, eyes or fingers, made pro-
found impression.
But except where special rulings
obtain, people have gone on play
ing with explosives the same as
ever. In rural and suburban dis
tricts records of accidents on this
particular day are rarely kept. If
figures were available, they would
doubtless be nearly as alarming as
those Cor the cities once we're.
1t is true that in remote farming
regions fireworks are not especially
popular. They are not always avail
able. The danger zoneB are the
villages and countryside close to
the cities where families from town
flock to spend the Fourth on pic
mic and to let the children shoot of
urecrackers according to the time
honored custom.
TetanuS or lockjaw, seems too
horrible disease to be fitting aft
ermath of day of celebration. But
wherever people play with Fourth
of July noisemakers, cases of tetan-
US are always noted Occasionally,
tetanus develops from some other
kind of injury. A scratch, cut or
sore, made by any rusty or dirty
implement, such as nail or rake,
is very apt to cause tetanus unless
prompt treatment is given.
This sdiSeaSe is SO deadly and the
suffering caused by it is so intense
that everyone should be familiar
with its prevention and treatment,
especially prevention. The first
rule OF prevention, Judging by what
we know as the prime cause of
tetanus, should be Don't use a toy
pistol or shoot giant firecrackers. -
Record OF Accidents.
The American Medical associa-
ton began in 1903 to collect sta
tistics of Independence day casual
ties, and in the II years following
it recorded 1119 deaths from tie
tanus alone. Over 60 per cent of
these deaths were attributed to
blank cartridge wounds.
Presuming a child does have a
top pistol, here is what may hap
pen. The trigger may be a little
stiff, and in discharging it the boy
may have the skin rubbed off of a
little place on his hand between |
the thumb and forefnger. Or, per
Laps the pistol will backfire and |
make a slight abrasion on his hand.
The injury may be slight, so slight i
that no notice is taken of it, or else ,
home remedies are applied salve, |
peroxide, drying powder, witch I
that is handy, re-
CARELESS of its feet upon the in
Jury.
There may be no complications. |
But if the injured place has in it |
enough of the yirulent tetanus
germs and the wound is not treat
ed so as to destroy them, Iocktaw |
will develop within the next TWO |
weeks.
Tetanus germs live mostly in the
ground away from the air, Oxygen
IS fatal to them. knowledge of this |
is the most important factor in |
treating tetanus. The germs seem
to thrive in certain sections, per
haps in certain kinds of soil. Tests
show that the ground in the vicin-
Ity OF New York, for instance, is
particularly rich in tetanus bacfIU. !
To contract the disease, enough
f the germs must be transferred