The Problem of Diphtheria in the Province of Quebec: 1894-1909
Authors
Catherine Braithwaite
Peter Keating
Sandi Viger
Abstract
Diphtheria was the object of one of the more important successes in bacteriological
diagnosis and therapy. Quebec medical authorities confronted diphtheria as part of
the new public health movement. The authors examine the problems associated with
the transfer of laboratory techniques and concepts to the larger social world of
medical and public health practice. The years from 1894 to 1909 can be characterized
as a period of relative failure with respect to the control of diphtheria, despite
the fact that laboratory control of diphtheria and its toxin was more advanced than
for any other contagious disease.
