Evening star., 1927-05-19
SWIMMING POOLS
DECLARED DANGER
Often Spread Infections De-
spite Sterilization of Water,
Doctors Are Told.

Was the old swimming hole less
of hazard than the modern ster-
iHZed pool?
Although strenuous efforts have
been made toward sterilization of
water in swimming pools infections
have become so frequent in recent
years that almost every family has
been brought to grief in one way
or another from swimming, Dr. Fred
erick E. Hasty of Nashville, Tenn,
told the eye, nose and throat sec
ton of the American Medical Asso-
citation meeting at the Washington
Hotel this morning.
The number of bacteria in public
pools is often under control, he ad-
mitted, but little consideration has
been given to the kind of bacteria
present. Guinea pigs inoculated with
water from pools that had undergone
various processes of sterilization de-
veloped practically every bacterial
type of infection of the upper respi-
| ratory tract. The severity of the in
fections was found to vary in pro-
portion to the severity of the colds
prevalent in the neighborhood at that
particular time.
Pools Spread Infections.
Water gets into the nasal cham
bers of most swimmers" DR.. Hasty
said, carrying with it the contamina-
ton of the pool and at the same time
adding to the pool whatever bacteria
may be present in the particular
swimmers nose. I have observed a
number of boys who got sinus in
fection from one pool as a result of
being required to duck their heads.
Without exception. these infections
cleared up in few weeks after the
boys had been forced to quit swim
ming.
Persons who have suffered from
various forms Of sinus infection or
nasal obstruction are likely to devel-
op acute attacks after swimming. The
high percentage Of frontal and eth
modal sinai infection is due to Viru-
lent foreign bacteria reaching the vul-
nerable part of the nose and to a
lowered local and systemic resist
ance."
DR.. George D. Wolf of New York
discussed hoarseness before this Sec
ton. and said that this common con-
dition, annoying to the patient not
only for itself but also because of the
persistent curiosity on the part of
relatives and friends, may be a dan
ger signal of organic disease"
Causes of HOarseness.
In DR.. VOLTS opinion chronic
laryngitis usually is secondary and
tuberculosis of the larynx. An oc-
may be caused by a variety of con-
ditions ranging from hysteria to
cupation demanding excessive use of
the voice, working in the presence of
smoke, dust or irritating gases, the
use OF alcohol or tobacco, tubercu-
losis or growth in the throat may
cause persistent hoarseness. In chill
dren suffocation followed by hoarse-
ness is caused frequently by a coin
which has slipped into the larynx
Use of the laryngoscope to diagnose
hoarseness was urged by DIR. Wolf
although he said many persons would
rather remain hoarse than submit to
an examination with this instrument
Agitation is on foot to provide
graduate training for general prac-
titioners who feel they are getting a
bit rusty. DR.. George e. Shambaugh
of Chicago told this section.
He said that few universities are
equipped to offer an efficient type of
instruction to practitioners who are
afraid that the tide of scientific ad-
vance in medicine is leaving them
behind. He urged that other plans
be brought forward to meet this
demand.