Tetanus :: essays research papers

lockjaw is a potentially stern disease, usually associated with infected puncture wounds. Its common name is lockjaw, because a common first symptom of the disease is stiffness and tightening of the jaw muscles. Tetanus has been recognized for centuries, even as early as the 5th fourth century B.C., in the picturesque descriptions Hippocrates gave of the disease.This infectious disease is caused by the bacteria Clostridium tetani, which is sometimes found in soil. It produces a toxin as it multiplies, that affects the neural system. Some symptoms of tetanus are muscular spasms, and rigidity of the body, there competency also be chills, headache, fever, and difficulty swallowing. If gone unchecked this toxin causes death.When diagnosed a doc willing sterilize the wound. If the Tetanus is already severe the patient will become hypersensitive and must be kept in a quite dark room. At this stage the doctors can only grapple the symptoms, with muscle relaxants, antibiotics, and s edatives. The most important treatment for Tetanus is prevention, through a vaccine.In the 19th century Tetanus was the concern of Joseph Lister in patients who had the disease in the hospital. A. Carle, G. Rattone, A. Nicolaire, and others recognized the Infectious nature of Tetanus in 1884 1888. The isolation of the bacteria and its toxin happened in 1889-1892 by S. Kitasato, T Weyl, and A. Nicolaire. S. Kitasato, L. Villiard, E. von Behring, and W. Schutz did animal experiments on both active and passive immunization in 1890 1892. Crystallization of the neurolysin happened in 1949, because of L.