Abstract
From the author's long clinical: experience, the following points are emphasized in the diagnosis of diphtheria.
1. Without the pseudomembranes, one should not diagnose a case as diphtheria only with the proof of the bacillus diphtheriae.
2. Always the nasal cavity should be examined.
3. A patient may have soft pseudomembrane accompanied with no pain in swallowing.
4. The pseudomembrane may not be dirty-colored, but may be semi-transparent and milkwhite colored.
5. Examination for the bacillus should be made in the case of tonsillitis lacunaris.
6. Attention should be paid to the case where the pseudomembrane extends outside the tonsils.
As for the treatment, the author usually injects 10,000 units of the serum in a serious case and injects again 7,000 units on the following day if there is no sign of improvement.
Horizontal incision is recommended for beginners in tracheotomy.
