Symptoms
The first symptom to appear may be the spasm in the masseter muscle which interferes with nursing the child. The muscle of the face and jaws appear firm and hot and the lips slightly protrude. Intervals will occur when the muscles will be completely relaxed. At first these paroxysms appear at intervals, between which the relaxation is complete; but later they become more frequent and the relaxations less marked until there is more or less of a continuous rigidity. This contraction grows more exaggerated until the entire body becomes rigid. The jaws become set and may be separated only slightly, if at all. There is a peculiar characteristic facial expression due to the contraction of the facial muscles. Swallowing becomes very difficult. There is a weak, rapid pulse. In the mild cases there is only a slight temperature, but in the more severe cases the temperature may become extremely high. The cry becomes weak and whining. The incoördination is of short duration. The child soon dies from exhaustion or from suffocation due to the rigidity of the respiratory muscles or it may be due to a spasm of the larynx. While tetanus is not a very common incoördination, the mortality is very high. Authorities place the fatality as high as 90% and even 95%.