Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1928-12-06
HINTS ON HEALTH
prepared and Furnished by the
Public Health Education
Committee Of Minnesota
State Medical ASSN.

St. Pdul, M1nneSOtd.-Dlpntn a
disease that could be practically wiped
out of existence, has assumed the pro-
portions of an epidemic in Minnesota
through the failure of many people
to avail themselves of the scientific
weapons available to guard against it,
the health committee of the Mime
sofa State Medical Association points
out in a bulletin.
The history of diphtheria in Mime
sofa and other states of the middle
west is an interesting chapter in the
conquest of a plague. Incidentally
it also shows that while much pro-
gress has been made, the lesson Min
nesota is learning now is that any
relaxing in interest in the battle for
health means prOportionate jump in
the death rate.
In the nineties, diphtheria was
much more of menace than it has
been in recent years. The disease
centers its most vigorous attacks on
children and young people, where most
of the fatalities occur. With thou
sands dying of the disease in those
days the use of anti-toxins came into
common use and the diphtheria death
rate receded in the proportion that
people availed themselves of this COM
bative measure. 1t is estimated that
deaths from diphtheria have dropped
about 80 per cent since the early days,
but in the last years there has been
little success in further eliminating
this health menace. Medical records
show that it is even difficult to con-
vince all people that they should pro-
tect their own lives.
There are two definite things the
health committee emphasized in its
bulletin recently. One was that there is
an adequate safeguard against the
disease and the other that the pro-
liability of a cure when once the dis
ease has been contracted is in di-
rect ratio to the speed with which
treatment is made available.
1.-THE efficacy of the toxin-antitoxin
method for the prevention of diph-
iberia is beyond all doubt, and along
with anti-toxin for the cure of the
disease, has contributed to the record
we have held in diminishing this af-
Fiction" the health committee says
Examination of diphtheria rates in
larger cities shows that over period
of 20 to 25 years following the intro
duction of anti-toxin the number OF
fatal cases of this disease steadily
diminished. In recent years it has
been found the fatality rates remain
practically stationary. Delay in Civ
ing anti-toxin appears to be the chief
obstacle to further improvement. Sew
eral Investigations have shown that
for those patients who receive anti
toxin on the first day the death rate
is less than one per cent and with
each days delay the rate increases,
reaching as high at Is per cent for
cases treated on the fifth day or after
The health committee declares that
one reason why deaths continue from
diphtheria is because diphtheria is
often mistaken for an ordinary sore
throat or Group and the patient is not
afforded proper treatment until it is
too late.
1.-The classical symptoms of diph-
liberia are a white spot in the throat
enlarging more or less rapidly into
the membrane" the committee ad-
vises. "In young children it has a
prediction for the windpipe, where
this membrane is hidden from sight.
In that situation, it is called laryngeal
diphtheria, or more popularity, mem
branous Group, and is attended by
difficult or INSTRUCTED breathing"