Diphtheria

Diphtheria is an upper respiratory tract illness characterized by sore throat, low-grade fever, and an adherent membrane of the tonsil(s), pharynx, and/or nose. A milder form of diphtheria can be limited to the skin. It is caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, an aerobic Gram-positive bacterium.

History

Diphtheria (dif-thir-ee-uh or often dip-thir-ee-uh) takes its name from the Greek word for "leather", dipthera, and was named in 1855 by French physician Armand Trousseau (1801-1867). This coinage alludes to the leathery, sheath-like membrane that grows on the tonsils, throat and in the nose.

Related Topics:
1855 - Armand Trousseau

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Diphtheria was once one of the most dreaded diseases, with frequent large-scale outbreaks. From 1735-1740, a diphtheria epidemic in the New England colonies was said to have killed as much as 80% of the children under 10 years of age in some towns. In 1920s there were an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 cases a year of diphtheria in the United States, with 13,000 to 15,000 deaths. Children represented the large majority of cases and fatalities.

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One of the first early effective treatments was discovered in the 1880s by U.S. physician Joseph O'Dwyer (1841-1898). O'Dwyer developed tubes that could be inserted into the throat to prevent victims from suffocating from the membrane sheath that grew and obstructed the airways. In the 1890s, the German physician Emil von Behring developed an anti-toxin that, although it did not kill the bacteria, neutralized the toxic poisons that the bacteria released into the body. For this (and his serum therapy for diphtheria), he won the first Nobel Prize in Medicine. (Americans William H. Park and Anna Wessels Williams also developed a diphtheria antitoxin in the 1890s.) Effective vaccines were not developed until the discovery and development of sulfa drugs following World War II.

Related Topics:
Joseph O'Dwyer - Tubes - Emil von Behring - Nobel Prize - William H. Park - Anna Wessels Williams - Sulfa drugs - World War II

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Diphtheria was also prevalent in the British royal family during the late 19th century. Famous cases included a daughter and granddaughter of Britain's Queen Victoria. Princess Alice of Hesse (second daughter of Queen Victoria) died of diphtheria after she contracted it from her children in December of 1878 while nursing them. One of Princess Alice's own daughter, Princess Marie also died of diphtheria in November of 1878 when she was only four years old.

Related Topics:
British royal family - Queen Victoria - Princess Alice of Hesse - 1878

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