TETANUS.

Auckland Star, Issue 291, 9 December 1925, Page 8

TETANUS.

A DEADLY GERM. . THE EIXEKSLIE MENACE. PRECAUTIONS NECESSARY. I Recently the list of racing tragedies ■in New Zealand was added to by the death ;of another jockey, consequent on an acei- ' dent at Ellerslie. This unfortunate fellow died from tetanus after having apparently recovered from the effects of a fall in which he suffered a contused ! face, and as tetanus is now regarded by the medical profession as one of those 1 causes of death which come under the heading of "preventable" there is need for public education on a matter which constitutes a grave menace.' Though tetanus i 3 comparatively rare, quite a number of deaths occur from this cause ' every year, sufficient to be a serious loss 'to the community, in fact. Its victims i include people of all ages, from infancy to senility, and animals are frequently \ affected. I The "Lockjaw" Germ. ' Tetanus is the medical term for what is commonly known as the deadly "lockjaw." It is caused by the invasion into the blood of a slender, rod-like bacillus, which forms spores freely, these spores being spherical and giving the germ a drum-stick appearance. It is an i anerobe germ—that is to say, it cannot grow in the air. Tetanus forms a most j potent toxin, and when cultured can be filtered through porcelain. Even .00001 of a c.c. is a fatal dose for a guinea-pig. Man and horse are most subject to tetanus, the disease, in the main, following the infliction of a wound, and particularly a lacerated or contused wound which is soiled with earth. The spores occur in the soil, and are frequently found in cattle, horses and other animals. Most Potent Poison. During the war tetanus was relatively frequent, especially in the intensely cultivated districts of France an dßelgium, and it was not long before deaths from coil-stained wounds became so numerous as to seriously disturb the medical officers. Anti-tetanus treatment of declared tetanus has not proved so successful as in diphtheria, due to the fact that its poison is more potent. Consequently, once tetanus is recognised it has already inflicted grave injury to the nervous system. Preventive Treatment in War. The chief value of tetanus anti-toxin is a>3 a prophylactic. During the war the wounded did not receive injections until the middle of October, 1914, over two months after fighting was commenced. In the previous month the incidence of tetanus was 9 per 1000. In November, after the introduction of the injection, it had fallen to 2 per 1000, and up to the end of the war in only two months was this percentage increased. Generally the incidence was not more than 1.07 per 1000, and frequently it fell below this figure. Many of the wounded received only single doses, but in June, 1917, it was ordered that each man should receive at least four injections, at intervals of a week. The Value of Serum. The value of the serum is shown by the fact that even if tetanus does develop after a single prophylactic dose the infection tends to be mild. The point made by medical authority is that tetanus is preventable. This was shown in the war, when its incidence fell so greatly as the result of anti-toxin. But early injection is imperative. Since the germ is often found in the excreta of horses and cattle, wounds or abrasions sustained on farms, in saleyards, or about • stables should receive immediate attention, and ,to make absolutely certain that tetanus will not supervene an anti-toxin injection is indicated. Danger at Ellerslie. "We all know that conditions at Ellerslie are those which most favour the development of tetanus," said a medical authority to-day. "Therefore it would be a reasonable precaution to put a racecourse on the same footing in this respect as a battle ground. If a man receives an injury, an injection should automatically be given him. There is one disadvantage which makes the injured man reluctant, and that is that injections may make the arm stiffen and interfere with riding for 48 hours. Another thing is that it is comparatively rare that there is a death from lockjaw, as it is called, and the matter is lightly regarded for that reason, though the danger is ever present. Healthy men regard the possibility of death very distantly and carelessly, as a rule, and they will not go to any bother in taking precaution a against what they consider to be a remote possibility. Racing Clubs' Responsibility. "But the question arises whether the racing clubs should not seriously consider making provision for men who sustain wounds on the course receiving at least a single dose of serum. I think that responsibility should rest upon the clubs. If death from tetanus follows an injury, the patient not having been inoculated, it may be regarded as a preventable death."