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Corynebacterium diphtheriae, commonly known as diphtheria, is a bacterial infection that can affect various mucous membranes. There are two types of diphtheria: respiratory diphtheria, which can be transmitted through respiratory droplets, and cutaneous diphtheria, which is transmitted through skin lesions.

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Diphtheria is an old world disease, and there is limited information available regarding its first detection. The first recorded diphtheria epidemic happened in Spain in the 1600's. It is believed that diphtheria dates back to ancient Egypt and Greece.

The suspected agent of infection in diphtheria was a bacterium. Later, Pierre Bretonneau was able to describe the characteristics of diphtheria. In 1883, Edwin Klebs found out that Corynebacterium diphtheriae was the cause of diphtheria.

Diphtheria is an infectious disease caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi. Infectious diseases are spread from person to person.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7086672/

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Cases of diphtheria were reported in Europe and North America.

Time line:
1600's- Spain

1730's- New England

1920's- United States

In the United States in the 1920s, around 100,000 to 200,000 cases of diphtheria and 13,000 to 15,000 deaths were reported.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, October 19). Pinkbook: Diphtheria. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Diphtheria can be extremely virulent, and it can cause death to the host. According to the CDC, if diphtheria goes untreated, it can kill up to half of the infected patients, depending on whether it is virulent or non-virulent.

Even to this day, diphtheria's virulence can be extremely dangerous if a patient is not vaccinated against it. Vaccinations have helped reduce its virulence over time.

Virulence: A pathogen’s ability/severity to cause disease in an organism.

https://www.cdc.gov/diphtheria/about/diagnosis-treatment.html

https://www.jstor.org/stable/30084459?seq=2

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When diphtheria’s mode of transmission was unknown, the healthcare community had a hard time finding a way to prevent it. For a long time, diphtheria had no cure. It took scientist and doctors a long time to figure out what was causing this disease. Upon the identification of the disease, they developed tools to treat and prevent it.

Serum therapy and tracheotomy were the first treatments used against diphtheria. Tracheotomy was not a very successful method of treating diphtheria. The invention of serum therapy was utilized, which involved injecting the serum of an immunized animal into a sick person.

Later tracheal intubation was used, this method was less invasive. Tracheal intubation helped the infected patient to breathe while the infection took it course. The use of serum therapy opened up a path for a vaccine. The invention of diphtheria vaccine was highly successful in eradicating diphtheria. After the invention of the diphtheria vaccine, no further medical advances were made.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3078608/

https://www.proquest.com/docview/304066598?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true

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Various countries employed distinct approaches to address the disease. Since this disease was occurring worldwide, sometimes at varying times and rates, each country implemented different measures to slow its spread. Certain local authorities enforced mandatory diphtheria vaccinations in schools, while other governmental bodies recommended the isolation of infected patients.

The most innovative invention was the vaccine. During the 1920s, in New York, the Schick test was used on children in schools to test for diphtheria, along with vaccinations. The Schick test consisted of a skin test to determine if there were antibodies in the blood.

Diphtheria was a disease that was often mistaken for other diseases, which made it difficult for people to understand it. People did not know much about sanitation techniques or modes of transmission. Leaders around the world should have paid closer attention to this disease.

https://asm.org/Articles/2021/September/Making-School-Safe-During-Outbreaks-Diphtheria-and

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1354347/?page=6

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ecin.13038?casa_token=IpIZx5NMAUQAAAAA%3AowS9fgne_a5jUzMTxCKuwN-UMpJPxfCTF3x2COdnbV4Emq5kRoc07-GIGZB86ZTSqK2QXjeR7vFTXw

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Making School Safe During Outbreaks: Diphtheria and COVID-19 | ASM.org

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In Sept. 1921, schools in New York City were opening in the midst of an enormous diphtheria outbreak. Are there lessons for schools opening 100 years later during record-breaking COVID-19 surges?

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Many people died from this disease, especially children. This disease led to the creation of public health awareness campaigns. Research was expanded in an effort to find a cure and prevention for diphtheria.

Society did change its behavior towards this infectious disease. Now society know the importance of vaccinating and preventing diseases before they become a pandemic.

Society learned that it is important to maintain good hygiene. The invention of this vaccine helped society understand that diseases can be eradicated

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The most revealing aspect of diphtheria is that this disease dates back to ancient times, having been first described by Hippocrates.

The most surprising aspect of diphtheria  is that this disease was most common in children.

I would’ve liked to research more on how this disease attacks the body and why children are more prone to it.