Bordetella pertussis whoop. A coughing spell may last a minute or more, producing cyanosis, apnoea, and seizures. However, when not in a coughing fit, the patient does not experience trouble breathing. This is because "B. pertussis" inhibits the immune response, so very little mucus is generated in the lungs. A prolonged cough may be irritating and sometimes a disabling cough may go undiagnosed in adults for many months. Uncertainties of "B. pertussis" and whooping cough as a zoonotic disease have existed since around 1910, but in the 1930s, the bacteria were found to have lost their virulent power when repeatedly spread on
Riggs' disease Riggs himself. Riggs' disease Riggs' disease, also known as pyorrhea of a toothsocket or gingivitis expulsiva, is a historical term for periodontitis (gum disease), The condition was described as a purulent inflammation of the dental periosteum. It was named after American dentist John Mankey Riggs (1811–1885). Riggs' disease was said to produce the progressive necrosis of the alveoli and looseness of the teeth. The teeth may become very loose and fall out of the sockets. Mark Twain wrote briefly about Riggs' disease in his short essay, "Happy Memories of the Dental Chair", in which he claims to have been examined