Evening star., 1940-01-18
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study
BIZ Thomas r. Henry.

And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.
The third greatest killer Of youth in
the United States apparently is losing
Its punch and its victims have decreased
more than a fourth In 10 years.
This scourge is rheumatic fever heart
disease which usually strikes between
the 5th and Oath years. For the
country as whole, according to statis-
tics just compiled by the United States
Public Health Service. the decline in
deaths from this cause since 1880 has
exceeded 81 per cent. The malady,
however, still kills from 20 to 40 chill
dren and youths per 100,000-the death
rate varying greatly with race and Sec
ton of the country.
The reason for the decline, as well
as the causes of the disease itself-are
unknown. There is some reason to
believe that rheumatic fever is due to
never has been located. It may be one
of the more common forms, such as
the streptococcus, let loose In excep-
tionally favorable circumstances.
If this is true, says DR.. o. F. Hedley
Of the public health service staff, the
organism itself may be declining in
virulence. The enormous decline in
deaths from tuberculosis during the past
half century is believed to be due in
part to a loss Of virulence by the
tubercle bacillus, as well as to more
sanitary conditions and better methods
Of treatment. Public health officials
constantly are warning that the decline
may be deceptive and that at any time
some more virulent variation Of the
bacillus may break out with explosive
violence.
For couple Of generations, DR..
Hedley says. there has been widespread
removal OF tonsils of children and only
within the past few years have there
been protests against this on the part
Of some physicians who hold that it
may do more hurt than good. The
decline in rheumatic heart disease has
paralleled this and, Dr. Hedley believes,
there may be some cause and effect
relation.
Although many tonsils have been
removed needlessly since the beginning
Of the present century," DR.. Hedley says,
many childs health has been i'm
proved. The effect of these operations
on large scale now may be Affect
ing the present generation. There is
some reason to believe that rheumatic
fever is often spread within the family
group. Young children are less often
exposed to parents with quinsy and
other forms of acute or chronic tonsillar
infection than a generation ago.
There may be some factor in the
changing diet of the American people.
Although efforts have been made to
incriminate lack of vitamins or minerals
as causative factors these have not been
successful. The field has not been fully
explored. Most students, however,
believe that rheumatic fever, especially
in its most Illuminating forms, is more
common among the poorer classes
Improvement in housing may be
partly responsible for this apparent de-
cline. Owing to better transportation
facilities more families are living in the
suburbs"
Despite the improvement, he stresses,
the disease is still one of the great
medical problems. especially in the cities.
For example, in Philadelphia during
1896 1t was responsible for more deaths
Of persons under 20 years of age than
whooping cough, measles, diptheria.
scarlet fever, meningitis and poliomye-
litis combined, and nearly as many as
from all forms Of tuberculosis.
In New York City during the four
years 1933-1936 it was the leading cause
of death among girls between and
II years and among boys was exceeded
only by accidents.
But while the malady seems to be de-
clining of its own accord, says DR..
Hedley, "the millennium is constantly
fading" so far as anything that man
can do about it is concerned.
"At present." he says, "the horizon
can be scanned in vain for even an
indication that an active immunizing
agent may be forthcoming in the near
future. Since the turn of the century
many micro-organisms- ms-streptococci, fl
terable viruses, and recently the pleuro-
pneumonia organism-have been sug-
gested by various research workers.
Based on experience with other chronic
infections and the nature OF these Or
ganisms, it appears not unlikely that
were any Of them proved to be the
cause Of rheumatic fever 1t might still