BACTERIOLOGY IN A NUTSHELL. 



leave the structure has not been fully decided 

 upon by scientists, but nurses are instructed 

 that it is safest to disinfect all discharges from 

 the body, all personal clothing and bed linen ; 

 also to fumigate and thoroughly cleanse the 

 room at the close of the case. 

 Seat of The seat of invasion in cerebro-spinal men- 



Attack, ingitis is in the membranes which cover and 



enclose the brain and spinal cord. The germs 

 set up an inflammation of these membranes, 

 which are known as the meninges, but the 

 poison is also distributed to other parts of the 

 body. Inflammation of the meninges is a 

 characteristic symptom by which the disease is 

 made manifest. Sometimes only a small por- 

 tion is affected, at other times the greater part 

 of the cerebral surfaces are involved. This is 

 one of the very few diseases in which the nurse 

 is told that lack of strict personal cleanliness, 

 so far as the patient is concerned, must some- 

 times be permitted because of the necessity for 

 absolute rest and freedom from all movement. 

 About one-half of the number of cases of 

 cerebro-spinal meningitis end in death,* and 

 about three-fourths of its victims are children 

 under ten years of age. There have been 

 epidemics of the disease in the United States, 



Statistics of the year 1909 show a marked diminu^ 

 tion in the number of deaths where anti-meningococcie 

 gerum was used sufficiently early in t}i? cas?, 



a6 



