Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1938-02-04
DISCUSSION OF
PNEUMONIA AT
LOCAL MEETING
Conference At Local Health Of
ficer's Home Considers
Treatment OF Disease
SECOND IN IMPORTANCE
ONLY TO TUBERCULOSIS

The serum treatment of Pneumonia
was the subject discussed at Staff
Conference of the Worcester County
Health Department held on January
%, 1888, at the home of DR.. w. R.
Willard, County Health Officer, in Po-
comoke. Several doctors and other in
terested individuals were present,
some coming from Snow Hill and
Stockton.
It was pointed out that Pneumonia
kills twenty-five to thirty people in
this county each year and that the di-
sease is second only in Importance to
tuberculosis among the germ diseases
for which means of control are known.
The control of Pneumonia in Worces-
ter County will be somewhat more diff
ficult than in other regions of the
country, particularly cities, because a
larger number of the very aged and
young infants are affected. With
these two groups of individuals, the
disease goes harder than with older
children and younger adults.
The discussion brought out that if
serum is used for treatment the num-
Der of deaths among the serum treated
patients may be cut in one-half, and
perhaps more. However, to use serum
effectively, it must be administered
within the first four days of the di-
sease. 1t is known also that there
are about thirty different types of
Pneumonia germs, each of which may
cause the disease. Since a different
serum must be used against each type
of germ, laboratory examination of
the blood and sputum must be made
on each patient to determine which
type of Pneumonia germ is causing
the disease, and what kind of serum
to use. Since all of this takes some
time, the following law is justified:
Pneumonia is a medical emergency
jus tas appendicitis is surgical emer-
gency. When Pneumonia is first sus-
pected the doctor must be called at
once so that the necessary laboratory
tests may be made without delay. If
there is loss of time, it may not be
possible to administer serum within
the first four days when it is really
effective. The earlier serum is Civ
en-, the better are the results, and the
cheaper the cost.
The physicians emphasized Mat
they see very few cases of Pneumonia
early in the disease. Therefore it is
obvious that much work must be done
to inform the public of the nature
of Pneumonia so that a physician will
be called early. The disease should
be suspected if an illness begins sud-
denly with chill and fever, Stitch"
in the side, cough with blood streak
ed sputum. Pneumonia usually be-
gins during a cold.
Since serum is relatively expensive,
If program to control Pneumonia is
to be effective serum must be available
to the poor people through State or
County action. 1t was estimated that
if all the cases suitable for serum
treatment in the County were to be
treated with serum, the cost would be
about $4,000. 1t was also estimated
that the economic loss to the county
from Pneumonia is at least $4,000
year. This economic problem is par
ticularly acute, because Pneumonia
more often than not attacks the fam
ily's breadwinner, and may leave that
family destitute and dependent upon
relief or charity.