Four New Orleans surgeons told te Southern Medical Association in Atlanta Tuesday that the five Gulf states are the nation's "hot bed" of tetanus.
"The death rate from tetanus i higher in Florida, Mississippi, Texas, ouisiana and Alabama than any other states,' said Dr. Richard A. Faust, clinical instructor of surgery at Louisiana State university medical school, who was reporting for the group.
Adding that Georgia and six other states rank close behind, Dr. Faust called for definite programs for the prevention of tetanus.
PREVENTIVE NOTED
He also noted that the best preventive against the disease is adequate cleansing and treatment of skin wounds, no matter how insignificant they may seem.
Co-operating with Dr. Faust in the study were Dr. Arthur N. Houston, surgeon; Dr. William A. Roy, clinical instructor of surgery, LSU medical school; and Dr. Dabney M. Ewin, instructor of clinical surgery, Tulane university medical school.
In another discussion, Dr. James W. Burks, associate professor of dermatology of the Tulane mdei-cal school , warned of a new skin disease associated with swamp water in marsh areas. I The disease may be found [among hunters, trappers and oilfield workers who frequent swamps. A type of creeping eruption, the disease is characterized by tiny burows in the skin caused by microscopic worms, but is not severe.
Some cases, he said, cleared in two weeks without medical treat-men t, whereas antihistamines were prescribed with success in some other cases.
SYMPTOMS GIVEN
Symptoms of the disease, a rash consisting of small reddish lines on the skin combined with a burning or itching sensation in infected areas, do not differ greatly from other types of creeping eruption, he said.
A suggested cause is a tiny parasitic worm called "Strongy-loides myopotami,' known to be present in about 85 per cent of Louisiana nutria. The possibility I that the nutria parasitic worms •'can cause the skin inflammation without infecting the intestines will be tested in the laboratory, Dr. Burks said.
He credited Dr. Paul Beaver, professor of parasitology at Tulane, with suggesting the nutria parasite as a possible agent of the disease. Dr. Rodney Jung, associate professor of tropical medicine, coauthored the paper with Dr. Burks.
