The Ypsilanti Daily Press

Your Health
Pneumonia Robbed of Terror by New Treatments
By Logan Clendening, M.D.

Pneumonia which was once "Captain of the Men of Death" has, in this year of grace, lost most of its terror through the application of modern methods of treatment and control.

Dr. Clendening will answer questions of general interest only, and then only through his column.

The Year Book of General Medicine for 1941, which is a review of all the important work done during the year, reports the death rate in pneumonia from a number of clinics. The average death rate was about 6%. The mortality varies somewhat due to the greater incidence of the more malignant types of pneumonia in some clinics.

The social status of the patients in different hospitals also has an influence on mortality. Patients who have been living in good to fair economic circumstances with good nutrition and not in an over-crowded condition naturally show a better rate of recovery. I read in a report from one clinic which had a large number of cases—over one hundred—that there were no deaths whatever in the years 1930 and 1941.

Highest Recent Report

The highest death rate reported from any clinic was 9%. This is in striking contrast to former years. In Osler's Practice of Medicine of the date of 1905, the mortality is put down as from 20 to 40%.

The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company made an interesting investigation of all the death claims from pneumonia during 1940-1941. Questionnaires were sent to the families to try to determine various factors in the cause of death. A frequent finding was delay in calling the doctor in the fatal cases. In only about one-tenth of the cases was the doctor called on the first day of illness. In more than forty per cent a doctor had not been called until the fourth day or later, and in twelve per cent not until the eighth day or later.

This is really an important item now that the doctor can do something definite and helpful in a case of pneumonia. Everyone agrees that the earlier serum treatment and the sulfonamide drugs are given, the better is the hope of recovery.

Symptoms of Pneumonia

The early symptoms of pneumonia therefore should be known. The onset is sudden, there is often a chill. There is a feeling of feverishness with great weakness and prostration and a feeling of tightness in the chest which may amount to pain, and perhaps a localized stitch in the side. Cough does not often occur early, but there may be a sticky, bloody, rusty-looking sputum, but not always.

Shortness of breath and rapid respiration are almost always present. Any combination of these symptoms should mean a call for the doctor.

Even more astonishing than the improvement in death rate in pneumonia is the improvement in incidence. Among white industrial policy holders of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, the actual number of cases of pneumonia that occurred, whether they got well or not, is below 10 per 100,000. Contrast this with statistics of 1917 which show a death rate of 150 per 100,000 population. It is indeed probable that at the present state of civilization, we have reduced pneumonia to a minimum. We are approaching a figure below which it is unlikely that pneumonia can be reduced greatly. This is like most prophecies however—they often get upset.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

B. F.: "I was told that eating raw garlic was good for high blood pressure. Is this true?"

Answer: According to some of my correspondents, garlic has been successfully used for high blood pressure. It is also said to be an intestinal antiseptic and while I have had little personal experience with this, I have found that one must regard old, established opinions about drugs with a good deal of respect. At least it will do no harm to try it.