The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-01-18
TELLS DANGERS
OF PNEUMONIA
Doctor Lord Says 1t Causes
10 Per Cent Of Deaths
In This Country
DANGER IN FOLKS
HERDING TOGETHER

| Persons With Pneumonia Should BE Iso-
lated and Their Expectations
| Burned Medical Profession Does
Not Know Cause Of Common Colds, a
| Predisposing Cause.
! DIR. Frederick T. Lord, lecturer at the
| Harvard medical school popular course,
termed pneumonia one of the most press
/ ing of medical questions, says the Boston
Herald. About 10 per cent of all deaths
in this country each year are due to
some form Of this disease.
The lecturer stressed the simple pre-
cautionS that should be taken to avoid
spreading pneumonia. and remarked in
particular how important it was that the
regulations of the board of health
against prcmiscuouS splitting he en-
forced, adding. 'aS they are not now.
Causes That Lead TO Disease.
Among the causes prcdisposing to
pneumonia he laid emphasis ON the
herding together of people under
crowded living conditions, saving that
among the toltliets I'm thecWtirl1t ~Sa1s fha
incidence of pneumonia rose to nine
times that Of the same disease. in the
civilian ponulartion of tic same age
group Increased prevalence of colds
influenza. measles, whoOpiHg cough and
dIphtheria also increases the number of
pneumonia cases.
patient II suffering from Il cold ton
sihtiS. laryugitis or bronchitis may also
prCdi>poSe to pneumonia by causing IT.
ritation of the respiratory tract. This
''poSU-operativc' pneumonia can be
avoided. lac said, by poStponement of an
operation. when possible, until any in
lection of the respiratory tract has
wholly subsidized: but if operation is inn
pprative i'm presence Of such infection.
local is preferred to general anaeS-
thc4ia. and Of general auaestheticS gas
oxygen or chloroform are preferable to
ether.
The pneumOcoccuS DIR. Lord said. was
the most common immediate cause of
pneumonia. and these pnCumoC0Cci are
of different types known aS types /,
II. III and ". Types | and II are a
B common cause of lubar pneumonia and
rarely are present in the normal mouth,
unless the individual has been in close
/ contact with a patient with that form
of pneumonia. Types III and " are
| frequently the cause of broucho-pneu-
monia and are common in the normal
mouth.
Prevention of nucumona is. the lee
turcr said, u difficult matter. but the
application of such knowledge rs al
ready exists should serve to diminish
the disease.
One method of prevention is the ap-
pHcation of the simple methods already
well established for preventing the trans
fer of infectious material from one
person TO another. Ii is most important
ne said. that persons with pneumonia
be isolated; that their approximations
be- gathered in special receptacles and
buried that the Soling of bedding.
floors and furniture with expectations
be avoided and that soiled materials be
sterilized by boiling: that, eating uten-
silS used for patients be kept separate.
Abundant sunlight in the sickroom also
limits the danger As he phrased IT,.
sunlight and many organisms do not
agree in sunlight lower forms are very
short lived.
To eliminate the colds. influenza,
measles and other diseases that serve asI
predisposing causes. and the discovery
Of cauSative agents is essential 10 com
plete success. I'VE don't know the
causes Of ordinary colds he said "or
of the whooping cough or even of the
influenza. Hence SO much more work
must be done. and YOU. the public must
interest yourselves in the investigating
work which will help solve this part of
the problem