Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-08

Continued From First Page.)
defy precautions and it is these in
which the hygienic laboratory happens
to be most interested. Nearly every one
who has worked with tuleramia there
has contracted the disease and several
have contracted undulant fever. This.
1t was pointed out is in spite of the
fact that the hygienic laboratory staff
takes every precaution possible and is
probably as skilled as any group in the
world in preventive measures. But they
simply do not run away from a disease
because it is dangerous.
Diagnosis Still Difficult.
Diagnosis of pSittacoSis, it was point
ed out, still is diffcult for the physician
because the responsible organism has
not been isolated. It may be confused
with lobar pneumonia although the ac-
tual clinical picture is quite different,
Lobar pneumonia, public health officials
say, develops suddenly and is largely
confined to the lungs. The patient is
very sick for q few days, sinking lower
and lower, until he reaches the turning
point. Then the body has built up sum-
cient resistance to combat the disease
and the patient gets well just as rapidly.
The problem is to keep the patient
alive as long as possible in the worst
stage, few minutes may mean the
coming Of the crisis and the difference
between recovery and death.
PsittacoSiS does not first attack the
lungs. The patient feels generally in
disposed for q day or so and then Is
Then the pneumonia follows, with much
the same course as lobar pneumonia
that it does not come to q sharp crisis
The patient may linger on between life
and death for several days. 1t Is not
known whether the psittacosis organism
invades the lungs directly after flrst
becoming established in the intestines
or whether it has curious effect OF low
ering the general resistance Of the body
in such a way that there is no resist
ance to pneumonia organisms.
The case Of Anderson, 1t was pointed
out. followed this clinical picture, two
DAYS of indisposition being followed by
the severe illness, which developed soon
into a condition resembling pneumonia.
Believed Organism Isolated.
Shortly after its nrst appearance in
Europe, about so years ago, 1t was
thought that the psittacoSiS organism
had been isolated from the feathers OF
dead parrots and this has been de-
scribed in medical text books ever since.
But the Public Health Service, ex-
perimenting with other birds, has been
unable to obtain the same results.
Whether psittacosis is communicable
from person to person, it was explained,
still is debatable. Some cases OF SUCH
communication have been reported in
the past. In the present American
outbreak there has been no case in
which the victim did not have direct
contact with infected birds.
Meanwhile the Public Health Service
is trying to verify the diagnosis in
every reported case of psittacoSis. An
investigator is being sent to Newport
News, Va, to verify the diagnosis in
the case Of a pet shop employe who
is i'll with disease which appears to
be parrot fever.
Anderson was the third man to con-
tract psittacosis from the scientific
ranks which are fighting the disease.
DR.. William Royal Stokes Of the Balti-
more Health Department was at the
point of death yesterday from the
malady, but had rallied last night. DR..
Daniels Hatfield of the same depart
ment has been sick, but now is rapidly
recovering.