The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-09-16

HOW MANY GERM DISEASES
 A reader requests me to name the diseases of the human body that are supposed to be known as germ diseases.
 Dad bust itl I do wish you chile dren would desist from batting me that way. You know 1t rouses all my sarcasm when you pry me with the furtive mood. Let's be frank. Why make Q secret of the identity or standing of the one who does the supposing? We're oil out of grammar school now.
 Every public library has or should have Rosenaus Preventive Medicine and Hygiene" published by Appietons. This authoritative work gives the best of our present knowledge of the cause and pre- vention of disease, and I believe 1t omits no disease which physicians know or believe to be of germ or infectious character.
 The more important diseases we know caused by specific germs are tetanus (lockjaw), typhoid (enteric) fever, tuberculosis, chol- era, plague, diphtheria, anthrax (wool sorters' disease), glanders gonorrhea, malaria, epidemic cere- bro-spinal meningitis (brain fever, spotted fever), syphilis, typhus, tularemia, childbed fever (puerperal septicefnia), actinomycosis.
 Diseases we believe to be due to germs or other organisms: Amebic dysentery, hacillary dysentery, paratyphoid, dengue, chickenpox, smallpox, epidemic (lethargic) enc cephalitis, measles, German mea- sles, scarlet fever, influenza, un- dulant (Malta) fever, humps, pneu- monia lung fever), poliomyelitis (infantile paralysis), Rocky Noun tain spotted fever (tick fever), septic sore throat, acute infectious conjunctivitis (pink eye), trachoma (chronic red sore eyes), tulare- mia, whooping cough, yellow fever. Diseases we know are caused by parasitic infestation: Trichinosis, hookworm anemia, favus, and of course the common round worm, pinworrn, tapeworn1 and ringworni infestations. tH
 Ordinary septicemia (acute blood poisoning) Is due to various germs, chiefly strains of Strepto- coccus and Staphylococcus, invad- ing the tissues through some wound, scratch or other break of skin or mucous membrane, never to chemical poisoning by rust verdigris, metal, dye or paint ai the popular notion goes.
 Botulisni (food poisoning) fl caused by the toxin of Clostridium botulinum, formerly called Bacillus botulinus. This organism grows ir foods, whether fresh or canned which are carelessly handled bruised and exposed in open mar. ket, both meats and vegetables, pro. ducii1g it's deadly toxin or poison in the food before 1t is eaten. Tn, germ itself is harmless; but itl toxin is c frightful poison, attack. ing the vital nerve centers ratheI than the gastro. intestinal system Recent cooking Is the best safe. guard against this poisoning, foof allowed to stand for many hour after such cooking may contaif some of the poison, for ordinary cooking does not kill the spores ci Clostridiuri, and 50 they may e on growing in the food and produc. ing their toxin. Not 6 bad precau- ton to give any canned food 1 short boiling before serving. Heat. ing 12O degrees 0. (36 degreei above boiling T.) for ten minutes is necessary to insure sterilization of food which contains botulinuI germs. ,.
 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
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