The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-11-12

How rapidly American physicians have taken up the use of the new wonder working "sulfa" drugs Is demonstrated by 6 recent survey of treatment of pneumonia by the statisicians of the Metropolitan Life Insurance company. The use of the new drugs is largely responsible for the phenomenal reduction in the death rate from pneumonia by one half within the last three or four years, "The record for io4i Is oar- ticularly striking" say the statis- ticians, "because the rate has cori- tinued to fall this year despite the occurrence of e widespread epidem. lc of influenza In the early months of the year. Indeed, the winter of l340-io4l marks the first time On record that the mortality fro m pneumonia has materially declined when epidemic influenza was preva- lent."
 2,33a Pneumonia Cases
 The survey was based upon in inquiry among the attending phy- sicianS in 2,334 cases of pneumonia among policy-holders of the com pany, In le4l, While the cases stud- led were fatal, they nevertheless give c general picture of current practices in all cases. It was found that S4.3 per cent of those patients with lohar pneumonia had been treated with drugs of the sulfon- amide group. Treatment exclusive ly with these drugs was given In 72.8 per cent of the cases and in I1.5 per cent serum had also been used. Tn only one per cent of the cases was serum used exclusively.
 Miraculous almost as are the re. suits with the new drugs, preven- tion of deaths from pneumonia still depends much on the promptness with which the patient calls the doctor. The statisticians point out that in 40 per cent of these fatal cases, the doctor was not called lntil the fourth day of the illness or later, and in l2 per cent, not until the eighth day or later.
 The statisticians further stress the great number of cases of pneu- monia complicated by other serious diseases, which are more or less responsible for the fatal outcome of the pneumonia. Pointing out the greatly increased concentration Ui pneumonia deaths today among infants and young children on the one hand, and on the other among old people, the statisticians say, Tn infancy many of these fatalities were associated with prematurity congenital defects or weakness, mal- nutrition, mental deficiency, or irl- tercurrent or preceding infections of 6 serious nature. At the older ages a majority had previously beer suffering from chronic diseases oi the heart, brain, or kidneys, as. sociated with hardening of the ar- teries and high blood pressure, md from chronic respiratory condi- tions, such as bronchitis end asth- ma. Indeed, it was the physicians judgment l.. approximately on e. fourth of tkese fatal cases charged to pneumonia that death was due primarily to the complicating dis ease"
 Minimum Figure
 The statisticians predict that ''we are approaching 6 minimum figure for pneumonia mortality below which it is unlikely that the diseasI can be reduced. Already in 1940 death rates below 10 per 100000 fro,,a V,v.a,.,.a0s.io aS,a0nc xrYtAfta Tn, dustrial policy-holders of the com pany have been recorded at ages 5 to 34 years, and, among the wo- men, at ages 35 to A, the rate wal only slightly above 10. It Is ai these ages that the reduction tE the death rate from pneumonia has been relatively greatest = aI1' proxlinately two thirds within ll years. The greater part Of this sair