Diphtheria: its natural history and prevention.

  • Thorne, R. Thorne (Richard Thorne), Sir, 1841-1899.
Date:
1891
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Diphtheria: its natural history and prevention. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University Libraries/Information Services, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University.

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    Diphtheria has very properly been classified for statistical purposes with a number of diseases the spread of which has shown itself to be greatly amenable to efficient sanitary control; but whilst the rate of mortality per million living, from the so-called zymotic diseases, has almost continuously fallen in England and Wales from a mean of 3724 for 1871-80 to 2405 for 1889, we find that the contrary is taking place as regards diphtheria. And this circumstance is the more serious because, whilst diminution in the amount of death from a majority of the diseases included within the zymotic group has gone hand in hand with increase in our knowledge of their natural history, and especially of the circumstances which are associated with their spread, we are bound to admit that information of like scientific accuracy and scope has not as yet been the reward of investigations into the etiology of diphtheria. And thus it comes to pass that whilst an evil is increasing in our midst we lack the knowledge adequately to cope with it. But the increase of diphtheria mortality in this country has been by no means one of uniform distribu- tion. I have already adverted to the excess of its incidence during recent years on the Metropolis, and I have shown in Table II. the rate at which London diphtheria has been increasing. London, however, is not singular amongst our urban communities in this respect, and in illustration of this point I would draw attention to a paper on The Geographical Distribution of Diphtheria in England and Wales, by Dr. G. B. Longstaff, which was issued in a recent report of the