Diphtheria : its natural history and prevention, being the Milroy lectures delivered before the Royal College of Physicians of London, 1891 / by R. Thorne Thorne.

  • Thorne, R. Thorne (Richard Thorne), Sir, 1841-1899.
Date:
1891
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Diphtheria : its natural history and prevention, being the Milroy lectures delivered before the Royal College of Physicians of London, 1891 / by R. Thorne Thorne. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    he urges that if it be sought to explain that girls of the ages in question contracted more diphtheria than boys in consequence of a greater domesticity already mani- festing itself in their characters, and by reason of more constant association with the sick, it is difficult to under- stand why a similar result should not be found in the case of scarlatina. And he finally arrives at the conclu- sion that this excess of mortality from diphtheria amongst , females is probably due to their greater physiological proclivity to take the infection. In this connection I would observe that something may depend on the full significance of the term domesticity, and upon its taking account of those acts of affection and tenderness which, in their relation to the sick, characterise females during the period of girlhood as well as in mature womanhood. I shall have occasion to revert to this subject in referring to the exceptional risk which attaches to action involving intimate contact between the sick and the healthy in the case of diphtheria, as contrasted with other infectious diseases. And, even now, I would point out that the excess of diphtheria death which attaches to females over males from 3 to 15 years of age, increases precisely as the age advances which fits them more and more to take some share in the care of home and of relatives during periods of sickness. In the meantime I append Dr. Downes's instructive statistics, merely adding that the diphtheria in the period 1851-60, during one-half of which diphtheria and scarlatina fever were grouped together as one dis-