Tetanus

(tef ’ -an-us) [reravog, from reiveiv, to stretch]. I. An infectious disease characterized by tonic spasm of the voluntary muscles, an intense exaggeration of reflex activity, and peculiar convulsions. It is due to a bacillus, the bacillus of T., and has a period of incubation of from ten to twelve or more days. The first symptom is usually trismus or lock-jaw, which is soon followed by spasms of the other muscles. The poison may enter through a wound (traumatic T.); at times no point of entrance is discoverable (idiopathic T.). Puerperal T. follows labor. T. neon a to rum is due to infection of the umbilicus or the circumcision-wound. 621