The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-02-13
HEALTHY CARRIERS OF MENINGITIS

Since tho germ of poIomyclius (nfantic | paraysis) has not been found we cannot say definitely whether healthy persons who come | Into cose contact with the sick patient can | become carriers Of the disease, but we believe this is the explanation for many otherwise mys- | terlous outbreaks.
 Tho germ of ccrebro spinal meningitis | tbrain fevcr) has been identified and is readily | isolated from the nose or throat of the sicl: patient. There can be no question that healthy | carriers of the meningitis germ are largely re- | sponBibIe for the spread of this disease in the | community. IL is not difficult nor at all un- usual to detect thcne healthy meningitis car ricrs with the goods on 'cm.
 | Approximately one out of every 10 healthy | persons in contact with the meningitis patient | becomes carrier, at least for n short time. They are capable of carrying the infection to | third persons for n period of two or three weeks as rule. After that they cease to har- bor and give off the meningitis Germs (menn- gococci, dlplococcus of mcningitis) Among l5.257 soldiers In an army camp where A. men ingitIs epidemic occurred 672 were found to be carriers of the meningitis germ, though them selves not sick. but only n dozen of thcso car riers harborcd the germs for moro than 12 weeks.
 The lesson for the public 10 learn from these scientific facts is that relatives. attendants or visitors may innocently carry tho disease men ingItis although not themselves iIl. It ig worth noting that tho meningitis germs are harborcd and given off from the nose or throat of the meningitis patient or the menIn- sltls carrier.
 
 ingitIs (know to the older generation aB brain fever and sometimes now called spotted fever) is ono of tho common respiratory infections.
 When you or catch cri---aS call 1t, though you may lay back your long cars and call 1t Il common cold if you will--no one. not even n physician. can tell whether the illness will prove 10 be meningitis. If the physician de- clareg it iB 'Iust q common cold" he Is guess Ing, of course. and fortunately his guess is good in the majority of cases 'f by common tion. When the guess happens to Dc bad and the illness proves to be very serious. well, the physicians' bad guess is forgotten in the cx- citcmcnt of events.
 Tho health authorities seem to think that the custom of shaking hands is a means of gard the dish washing arrangements in army camps as a likely medium of such infection Of coures they have no scientific foundation
 I have n great deal of confidence in the an- tiscptic or disinfectant value of plain soap and water. 1 don't believe any respiratory infcc- tl0n be 1t meningitis. infantilc paralysis, pneu- mona. influenza. dlphtherIa or neasles is spread by shaking hands or by tho common ise of eating utensils Practically the only way in which these diseases nro spread is via mouth spray or nose and throat HecrctionB In my opinion.
 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
 Hay, Hay.
 Mere words just cannot express inocu- IatIOiis with no benefit whatever . {. your calcium Inctate treatment wOnderru--iast hay fever season first in 20 years I have been able to lie down ana rest nights. sat up only two nights all through the season. It seemed q miracle. Miss r. M. D.)
 Answer-Iiappy, but don't tell those friends to consult me about their hay fever. It can't be done. They may write me. In care of this newspaper and ask for my advice for fl. in- closing q stamped nddressed envelope. If they fail to inclose the stamped addressed envelope they may sneeze their heads off and cry their eyes out for all of me.
 Gradually Drying Up
 ! am following your advice on bcdwetting and am happy to say my year old son vets the bed only once week now. (E. U. b)
 Answer-- Reminds me of a collision in which my shoulder was slightly fractured People all lss,Ired me it was q very lucky accident. May be for the other guy! If that boy can stay dry six days a week he can scram through the hec- tic weekend, too, without wnverlng in his good resolution. Take that attitude with him. If he really wants to keep dry Sunday night as well as week day nights hc can.
 Removing CaiI0s
 Painful calIns about two inches long right on the middle of the sole of my foot. (A. M)
 Answer--Have shoemaker place soft leather pads on insoes, sanic shape and position as eaIlus to support transverse arch In ball Of foot The standard corn cure Will soften and remove caIIus or wart 8B well ifs corp---pnint 1t once daily for a week or 10 days with sOlu- ton of thir,y grains (30 gr) sallcylic acid in ono half ounce G-2 oz) flexible collodion. Keep liquid off neck of vial and kcep vial tightly stoppercd else the liquid bardens into un wieldly gum rom evaporation os hIcoheI
 tcopyrlght John r. Dille co.)