Tetanus historical perspective
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Historical Perspective
Although records from antiquity (5th century BCE) contain clinical descriptions of tetanus, it was Carle and Rattone in 1884 who first produced tetanus in animals by injecting them with pus from a fatal human tetanus case. During the same year, Nicolaier produced tetanus in animals by injecting them with samples of soil. In 1889, Kitasato isolated the organism from a human victim, showed that it produced disease when injected into animals, and reported that the toxin could be neutralized by specific antibodies. In 1897, Nocard demonstrated the protective effect of passively transferred antitoxin, and passive immunization in humans was used for treatment and prophylaxis during World War I. Tetanus toxoid was developed by Descombey in 1924. It was first widely used during World War II.
Famous tetanus victims
- George Montagu - English ornithologist; contracted tetanus when he stepped on a nail.
- Joe Powell - English footballer; contracted following amputation of a badly broken arm.
- John A. Roebling - Civil Engineer and Architect famous for his bridge designs, particularly the Brooklyn Bridge; contracted following amputation of his foot due to an injury caused by a ferry when it crashed into a wharf.
- George Crockett Strong - Union brigadier general in the American Civil War; from wounds sustained in the assault against Fort Wagner on Morris Island, South Carolina.
- Fred Thomson - silent film actor; stepped on a nail.
- Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly; wounded by a cannon ball in the Battle of Rain.
- Traveller - General Robert E. Lee's favorite horse; stepped on a nail.
- John Thoreau; brother of Henry David Thoreau