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Show mm Released by Western Newspaper Union. PNEUMONIA DEATHS Just as we are congratulating ourselves our-selves that physicians are not worried wor-ried much about their pneumonia cases since the sulfa drugs have 1 been shown to be so effective in curing pneumonia, thus saving sav-ing many lives, we learn from physicians, physi-cians, hospitals and insurance companies that pneumonia is again increasing. In the Statistical Bulletin, Metropolitan Metropoli-tan Life Insurance company, we read: "The rise in the Tlr. Rartnn death rate in pneumonia pneu-monia will be noted with surprise by many people who for the past few years have heard so much about the striking decline in the death rate following the use of sulfa drugs in the treatment of the disease." The death rate was lowered from about 9 per cent to 3 per cent because the sulfa 'drugs were able to defend the body against what is called the coccus coc-cus form of pneumonia (small round organisms seen under the microscope). micro-scope). However, the type of pneumonia which is now causing so many cases is not the coccus (pneumococcus) type but a virus type; that is a very tiny organism which cannot be seen under the microscope. Despite their ability to defeat the pneumococcus type of pneumonia, the sulfa drugs have no effect upon this type of pneumonia. A point of interest is that a recent study of fatal cases of this type of pneumonia among policyholders of the ' Metropolitan Life Insurance company shows that a large propor- tion of the deaths were among younger persons. Of the 150 deaths recorded in the company's experience experi-ence since last November, 36 per cent were between the ages of 15 and 44 years, as compared with only 18 per cent (of the total number) of pneumonia deaths in a normal year. It has been known for some time that war conditions increase the number and severity of nose, throat and lung ailments; the influenza epidemic epi-demic of 1918-19 is still in our minds. This means that during the coming months of cold weather, the greatest possible health precautions should be taken. "Those doing hard manual labor or putting in long hours of overtime should be encouraged to get as much rest as possible in their time. Every Ev-ery effort must be made to maintain main-tain good nutrition which is quite possible within the limits of rationing." |