The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-04-13
Tho Infant And Diphtheria

The Infant And Diphtheria 7
 .M. w. inquiries: "What percentage of infants are immune to- diphtheria, and up to what age? Does the infant secure its ability to resist diphtheria from the mother? In a family in which children have diphtheria, should a baby of 6 months be given toxin antitoxin, especially when it cannot be isolated from the children?" s
 Answer: According to tho Schick tests made on a large number of chil- dren in New York city, S5 per cent of infants under 3 months of age are less likely to develop diphtheria following exposure. Seventy per cent of those from 3 to 8 months are immune, and 40,per cent of those from 6 months to 1 year. ,sN
 The ability of the infant to resist idiphtherfas is usually, if not always, due to the fact that its blood contains antitoxin which has passed with the blood Fits mother into its body during the time before it's birth. The mother may have resistance to diphtheria with out ever having had the disease. A baby 6 months old, if unavoidably ex. posed to infection by diphtheria should certainly be given the preventive toxin antitoxin injection, because a large pro portion of deaths occurs when diph. theria develops in the very young.
 Preventing Poisoning From Exhaust
 T,> NY Gases
 A. R. c. writes: Gan youi tell me of any substance that will combine with exhaust gases in garages and service stations, so as to lessen the danger of poisoning when ventilation is incom- plete? Is there any other improvement that is practicable?' !.
 Answer: No substance is known or is ever likely to be discovered that will neutralize the toxicity of carbon mon oxide in air. Even pure oxygen would not do it completely.
 The present conditions, in garages are extremely iunhealthful. The discharge of the exhaust gas near the floor results in mixing the gas so completely with the air of'the garage that adequate yen- tilation with fresh air is extremely diff f1cult or even impossible. On the other hand, If cars were made so that the ex- haust was discharged upward it would rise to the ceiling. for, being warm, it is much lighter than air, and the gas would then easily find its way out through venhlators in the ceiling of the garage.
 For this purpose, Professor Tender son and .Dr. Hsggard of Yale uni- yersity, who have made an extensive study of this matter, have, urged that automobiles should be built with the exhaust pipe turned upward and ex- tending a few inches above the roof of each car. In some types of automobile the exhaust pipe extends back of the car bodykfar enough so that piece of flexible pipe may be easily slipped over it and the end turned upward: When this is done, the gases are discharged upward and rise to the roof so that the contamination of the air of the garage is greatly diminished. Unfortunately, the shape of the exhaust on many makes of automobiles is such that the piece of pipe is not easily attached.
 As Henderson and Haggard point out, carbon monoxide occurs nearly always among the products of combustion, and is contained in the smoke from nearly all, furnaces and stoves. The gas thus produced is easily eliminated from our dwellings and our streets by. means Of chimneys. They urge that'the measure of ameliorationc applicable to the auto. mobile is vertical exhaust, which iS simply the, application of the principle of the chimney.