Diphtheria

How to Recognize the Disease How to Keep from Catching It How to Treat Those Who Do Catch It
KEEP WELL SERIES No. 4
TREASURY DEPARTMENT UNITED STATES PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE 1919
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE


After babyhood has passed, beware of diphtheria. Of all the deaths of children 3 and 4 years of age, more than one-seventh are caused by diphtheria.
Diphtheria is preventable and, when properly treated with antitoxin, is curable. Most of the children who die from diphtheria really lose their lives because of the ignorance and carelessness of their parents.
Diphtheria is a disease most often occurring in children and resembling a sore throat or tonsillitis. It is caused by a small germ called the diphtheria bacillus. The disease may resemble:
A very mild sore throat , the tonsils and back of the mouth being redder than usual, and the person not feeling ill.
It may look like a more severe sore throat or tonsillitis with a white or grayish patch, called a membrane, on the tonsils. There may be only one or a few small distinct patches, and the throat may feel somewhat sore. The glands in the neck, below the tonsils, may be slightly enlarged and may feel about the size of small peas. The patient may feel rather ill.