Transactions - Luzerne County Medical Society (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1895. Excerpt: ... DIPHTHERIA. - READ BEFORE THE SOCIETY, FEBRUARY, 1895, BY DR. RICHARD P. TAYLOR, WILKES-BARRE, PA. Mr. President, Members and Visitors of the Medical Society: The subject of my paper, namely, "d1phther1a," which I have chosen to read before you to-night, is not an unfamiliar subject, neither do I think I can advance anything new regarding the etiology or treatment of this disease; yet diphtheria is a disease we, as physicians, are called upon very frequently to treat, especially in this city, and if I but only refreshen in your minds what you have already heard on this subject I consider I have done something palliative to suffering humanity. Diphtheria is a specific, infectious, contagious disease, characterized by a local fibrinous exudate usually upon a mucous membrane, and by constitutional symptons of varying intensity. The presence of the Kleb's LoefHer bacillus may be regarded as the etiological criterion by'which true diphtheria may be distinguished from other forms of pseudomembranous inflammation. According to Wood and Formad this micro-organism was supposed to be a micrococcus, which belief was corroborated by Welch and Prudden, but it was shown later that these scientists had not seen the LoefHer bacillus but only the streptococcus and staphylicocci that are frequently found in diphtheretic membranes. The bacillus varies in length from 2.5 to 3 mikrons and from 0.5 to 0.8 of a mikron in thickness. Diphtheretic angina always starts as a local disease. From a pathological standpoint it is not admitted to be a general disease with secondary local manifestations, as is corroborated by experiments by Loeffler. Histologically, the changes are rather deep seated. Early there is a simple catarrhal inflammation, but in the fully developed process, ...