New Britain herald., 1925-11-09
Your Health How to Keep It.
 Causes of Illness
By DR. HUGH S. CUMMING Surgeon General, United States
 Public Health Service.

Man was familiar with diphtheria long before the Christian era. The year 1913 was known in Spain as "diphtheria year." and medical his tory Is full of accounts of disastrous epidemics of diphthcria in many parts of the world.
 In 1891, a French physician dem- onstratod the fact that dIphtheria was being spread among the troops by the common drinking cup, and he 1t was who described this disease very carefully, and gave it its prcs- ent name.
 Not much more vas learned a bout diphtherla until 1883 and 1884, when the diphtheria germ, f. microscopic plant, was discovered and proven to be the cause of this disease.
 About the first use made of this discovery of the bacillus of dph- theria was that of determining by ba actcrological examination or not n child or other person who has a sore throat is suffering from diph- '''S' l"' ] liio lS ilO" lI dlllltSl uUl- vcrsal practice where modern phy- sicians are 10 be found. and to let a child become seriously i'll or die of diphtheria without a bacterioIogical examination when one can be had would not only be q disgrace, but 1t would be criminal, because the earlier the disease is recognized, the better the chances are Of saving the child's life.
 Shortly after the discovery uf tho diphtheria germ it was found that when these germs are grown In the laboratory they produce a poison known as "diphtheria toxin" and that the germs and the toxin can be , separated from each other by q pro- cess Of filtration, This toxin can be made so strong that the hun dredth part of a drop is sufficient 10 kill an average sized guinea pig.
 Later 1t was found that by giving an animal repeated injections of di- lute toxin, 1t would become resistant or immune to diphtheria-in other | VI cldSb llluL Spu Aoulu HOL MI lllr animal with the disease itself. By further experimentation 1t was found that the blood serum of an animal so immunlzed would cure diphtheria in human being, If giy- en In time.
 This specially developed serum is known as "diphtheria antitoxin." It acts by counteracting the effect of the toxin produced by the growth of the germ in the body, or in the throat, to be more exact.
 The next step was the discovery of the fact that the giving of anti toxin to persons who had been ex- posed to diphtheria would prevent their becoming III of this disease. This protection does not last mora went still further. and gave us final | ly two very wonderful, two very use- full measures, namely: the Schick test and toxin -antitoXin immuniza- l tion.
 The Schick test consists of the in- jection of few drops of prepared diphtheria toxin into the skin. The skin is then observed carefully to see whether characteristic red spot appears where the injection is made. If within two or three days such 8 spot does not appear the doc tor knows that the person is not sus- ceptible to diphtheria. All parents want to know whether or not their children can catch this disease. Tho Schick test will tell them.
 For those on whom the character istic redness appears and who are therefore known to be liable 10 diphtheria l would advise q course of protective injections. When toxin antitoXin Is injected into persons who have been shown by the Schick test to be liable to diphtheria an im- munity is established whereby they are prevented from catching the disease, even though they may be exposed to II. The protective treat ment consists of three small injec- tions. These injections are given 8 week apart. They are harmless. The protection lasts for years, per- haps throughout life in many cases.
 All children over one year of age should be given the Schick test. Children who are nursing, possibly because of some protective sub stance In their mothers milk, seem to have usually a natural immunity to diphtheria, hut this immunity Is nearly always lost after the child is weaned.
 After a child Is ten years old he is less liable to contract diphtheria, though he may do so. Few grown people catch the disease.