Vol. 60, 1909 - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

78
THE CHARLOTTE MEDICAL JOURNAL.
Leprosy.—This terrible and once much contained only in the catarrhal secretions,
dreaded disease has many points of simi- Sporadic cases, or the sudden eruption of
larity with tuberculosis. It is caused by epidemics in any localities from which the
bacillus leprae, which closely resembles in disease has been absent for a long time, or
form and staining the tubercle bacillus, and where there has been no new importation
was discovered by Hansen in 1879. Infec- of infection, may possibly be explained on
tion takes place, it is generally assumed, the assumption that the bacilli often remain
through abrasions of the skin and the mu- latent in the bronchial tubes for many
cous membranes, but the disease, contrary months, and perhaps for years, and then
to the popular ideas on the subject, is very become active again under favorable confeebly
contagious, being transmitted slowly ditions, when they are transmitted to others,
and with difficulty to persons exposed to Influenza bacilli are often found in asinfection.
sociation with other bacteria in mixed in-
Since the discovery of the cause of leprosy fections, particularly with pneumococci,
systematic efforts have been made to im- streptococci and tubercle bacilli. While in
prove the condition of its victims and to itself not a very fatal disease, influenza
promote the study of the circumstances certainly has increased the mortality from
under which it prevails. The British lep- such diseases as pneumonia and tubercurosy
commission has done good work in losis, not onh' from its presence in these
calling attention to the widespread preva- diseases but also from its well known effects
lence of the disease in India and in the in lowering the general vitality. Unlike
East. In this country it was introduced most other acute infections, its incidence
into San Francisco by the Chinese, and into has not been diminished by sanitary or prethe
Northwestern States by the Norwegians, ventive measures, but its prevalence seems
There are also foci of infection in the South- indeed to have increased. The nature; of
em States, particularly in Louisiana, and the disease, however, being now better
in the Province of New Brunswick. The understood than formerly, other therapeutic
problem has acquired additional interest remedies are employed which strengthen
since the annexation of the Hawaiian and the weakened vitality of the body, rather
Philippine Islands, in both of which places than the enervating coal-tar products, for
leprosy prevails extensively. There is no example, at first so disastrously used in the
known preventive treatment of the disease treatment of this debilitating affection. No
by bacterial products, but it can undoubt- protective serum has been discovered which
edly be curtailed by systematic measures is of any value in protective treatment,
of inspection and the segregation of infect- Diseases Due to the Pneumococcus.—Typied
individuals; nor is there any likelihood cal lobar pneumonia, as well as certain
of its ever increasing among native Ameri- forms of pleuritis, pericarditis, endocarditis,
cans or getting such a foothold again in cerebro-spinal meningitis, abscess, etc., are
the world as it had in Biblical times or in now known to be caused by the pneumothe
Middle Ages. qoccws ox diplococcus pneumoniae, discovered
Influenza.—This disease as a distinct by Sternberg and Pasteur, independently,
entity can be traced back to the 1.5th cen- in 1S70. It is present in the saliva of about
tury and probably existed at a much earlier 20 per cent, of healthy persons, but is not
date. The last great epidemic reached found outside the body except in sputum.
Russia from the liast in 1889 and gradually Pneumonia is another one of the few disspread
o"er liurope and to America, arriv- eases which, despite all sanitary measures
ingin this country at the close of that year, adopted up to the present time, not only
Since then we have had more or less of it holds its own but has increased in prevaalmost
continually, and especially during lence and severity. The mortality from
the winter months. It is now known to be pneumonia is second only to that from
caused by a specific germ, (^a(77//«/«/f«