scratch of a thorn or an insect bite. While

scratch of a thorn or an insect bite. While rpillions of babies and members of the armed forces have been innoculated against tetanus, the fact remains that about three-f o u r t h s of the adult population is lacking in immunity. The protection offered by immunization wears off after a few years and must be Te-established by booster shots, which most people fail to get. Once they enter the body, tetanus spores “hatch" into tiny, microscopic bacteria which begin to multiply. In the process, they liberate one of the deadliest of all poisons which attacks the nerve centers causing convulsions and muscle spasms—some sc severe that victims have been known to fracture a vertebra. Usually the first nerves affected are those of the head and neck which control the chewing muscles. These turn rigid with spasm, giving the disease its familiar namelockjaw.

In a clean, free-bleeding cut tetanus spores usually are washed out. Or if they do sprout into bacteria, the microorganisms may be destroyed by oxygen in the blood. But when blood flow is slight, as in a deep puncture from stepping on a nail or in crusl> ing wounds, or when the spores are insulated by imbedded dirt and debris, the tetanus bacteria may gain a deadly foothold within the body. This is because tetanus bacteria thrive in the absence oF air. McTantibiotic or other drug can halt a full-blown case, and about 60 per cent of those afflicted by the disease die. By means of immunization, tetanus is almost completely preventable. Protection should start early—one and a half to two months after birth —for the scrapes and falls of childhood offer tetanus many opportunities. In children, as well as adults, immunity is initiated by a series of three shots, spaced over eight weeks, and followed by a booster dose within six to twelve months. Thereafter, immunity is maintained by boosters every five years.