Death from Lockjaw.

Manawatu Herald, 15 September 1898, Page 3

Death from Lockjaw.

The death of a young clergyman ', from lockjaw following an abrasion of the skin caused by a bicycle accident again recalls (a&yfl the ; Medical Press) tjbe risks "which • cyclists incur by neglecting ordinary , precautions unde'tf these circum ! atanoeß. The jfrost dangerous : wounds to 'ba infected with the : tetanus bacilli are punctured ones, inasmuch _, as .the^jaaiero-arganisnis belong to th^aaaerobic olasa, which cannot flouiish :jn .the presence of oxygen. B# any- wound of the skin superficial ofybtbjerwise, may become infected if care be not observed in thorough cleaosing after its infliction. Hence cyclists should distinctly bear in mind that all wounds caused by falls from the machine cannot be regarded aa safe from tetanus icft-c* tion until, without any delay, they have been thoroughly washed and cleansed with some trustworthy antiseptic, a procedure with regard to which fortunately there is no difficulty. 'At the inquest on this oase a verdict was returned to the effect that death was due to lockjaw, " but whether it was. caused by the accident there Was . not sufficient evidence to phow." As a matter of ftct.no reasonable doubt can exist as to the disease having been inocula^ed at the time of. the accident. Tetanus almost invariable, follows injuries involving contact with the soil, and the dust of main thoroughfares in the country fa particularly Hckive in this respect. The period of incubation is uncertain, but the tex^-bookd state definitely that traumatic tetanus seldom begins immediately after the injuryihas been Feceivefl, days and. even we«ks

intervening, with mild prodromata for a brief, period preceding the graver phenomena. It is a matter of general knowledge that tetanus may ba comparatively frequent in particular regions, while almost unknown in others and its occurrence ought always to stimulate investigation into its causation.