Whooping cough: As a pre-teenager in the late 1930's I had it. The doctor...?

Question

... with a brush soaked in a brown liquid, painted the back of my throat about three times within 2 weeks. It was successful, but it was foul tasting. A) What (medicinal name) would that brown liquid be? B) What is the present treatment for Whooping cough ? C) How prevelant is it?

Answer 1

You have to go to a medical library that keeps an archive of old textbooks to answer that question with certainty. My guess is that you were swabbed with an iodine solution. As was common in those days, you survived in spite of treatment, not because of it. Individuals with pertussis today are treated with erythromycin or other macrolide antibiotics, but the chief purpose of antibiotic treatment is to prevent spread to others. Once you are symptomatic, you are likely to cough for several weeks.

The greatest risk of death is in children under six months of age. In 2002, there were 8,293 reported cases of pertussis (whooping cough) and probably several times that many unreported cases. In 2004 ther were 18,957 reported cases, over 5000 in adults. Teens and young adults may have relatively mild cases and spread it to more susceptible infants, small children and the aged. Most likely the immunity from childhood immunizations have worn off. Because of this a modified form of pertussis vaccine will be added to the diphtheria-tetanus boosters given to children between 11 and 15.

Answer 2

Hard to tell what the liquid might have been, but the present treatment for whooping cough is prevention. Anti-pertussis drugs are included in the three-part shots (diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus) and that infants get today. That means that in countries that practise preventative medicine, whooping cough amoung young children has steadily declined (although some 5,000 adultsl per year get it). In other parts of the word, it still claims a grim toll of young lives

Answer 3

I think the cures available today do not taste so foul! There are many medicines available now; some are inhaled and some are taken in tablet or capsule form. But avoid those that contain drugs that can become addictive or have side-effects. I read that there are natural herbal cures for this problem and they do not contain drugs and are not addictive. Check out this site: http://www.asmago.com

Answer 4

It might have been a coal tar preparation. As what they do now I don't really know, but I figure they treat it with antibiotics.