The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-06-07

the United States and has been
especially prevalent in industrial
plants, particularly those devoted
To war industry.
The symptomatology. course
and features indicate that it is
not like any other form of pink eye
with which oculists and general
practitioners in medicine have
been familiar for many years, 1t
is highly contagious from person
to person, which alone renders it
different from most forms Of con-
junctivitis, which are only mildly
or moderately contagious.
Most of its manifestations are
also more serious than those of
previously known forms. 1t usu-
ally begins with a low fever and
general fatigue and aching of the
bones. The eye at first feels as If
dust, or cinder, or some other
foreign body has gotten under the
eyelid. One eye is usually affected
first, although in most cases the
other eye becomes infected within
FIVE to eight days.
Symptoms Of Pink Eye
The eyelids swell and the white
of the eye looks very red, although
no pus is usually formed. Some
times there are little membranes
which, if removed. leave small
bleeding points. The patient is
sensitive to light and has TO have
the eyes closed with a cotton pad
or bandage on them, and these
have to be changed frequently be-
cause of the damming back Of
tears and other secretions.
In very severe cases the eyeball
over the pupil (the cornea) be-
comes infected and in few cases
some scar tissue remains after the
disease has suAided, but this is
rare.
The condition runs a self-lim-
tied course to full recovery in from
fourteen TO eighteen days. This
occurs more or less without re-
spect to whatever treatment is
used.
The condition, as we have said,
is very contagious and runs from
person to person in a plant or a
neighborhood. The incubation pc
Rod is from FIVE to ten days; this
is usually determined in plants
where one individual is the source
of the spread of the infection to
others.
Period Of Contagion
The person who has this form of
pink eye is contagious and capable
of spreading the condition to
others from the time he begins TO
be uncomfortable. As soon as the
acute symptoms have disappeared,
he is probably no longer a source
Of infection. No germ has been
discovered as yet in the secre-
tons, although undoubtedly it is
some kind Of germ disease.
Treatment is palliative during
the acute stage and the eyes
should be kept clean with irriga-
tons Of boricacid or physiological
salt solution. Local anesthetics
have been used to control the dis
comfort and the irritating effect
Of light.
Under prevention, it is very i'm
portant in any industrial plant
that any individual with a red eye
should be stopped at the entrance
Of the plant and sent to the plant
physician to determine whether or
not this form of conjunctivitis is
present.
In some larger plants workers
on duty are regularly inspected
and anyone with red or infamed
eyes is sent to the medical office
for examination. Anybody who
treats such a case should be ex-
tremely careful that all instru-
ments are sterilized between the
times they are used on one person
or another.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Constant Reader: | am an old
lady 20 years old and have high
blood pressure. Will you please
tell me if it is harmful for me to
drink coffee?
Answer: No. Coffee does not
increase the blood pressure, but it
does increase the circulation to the