Flea has never seen Diptheria. There's a reason for this, and 21st century sanitation practices have nothing to do with it.

The name of the disease is derived from a Greek word meaning "Two Leathery Scrolls". This is the description that Pierre Bretonneau gave to the appearance of an afflicted child's throat.

Corynebacterium diphtheriae is a bug that is passed from person to person by coughing, sneezing, and otherwise smearing bodily fluids. Poor sanitary conditions has nothing to do with Diphtheria, nor with Smallpox. You get it from another person. Capisce?

The leathery scroll effect is achieved when the bug releases a toxin that kills cells in the back of the throat, leaving a thick membrane of dead tissue. In 10% of cases, the patient's neck swells to several times it's normal size, the so-called "bull neck". Prior to advances in airway protection and antibiotics, Diphtheria killed by suffocation.

In the early part of the last century, there were between 100,000 and 200,000 cases of Diphtheria every year, and 15,000 deaths due to the disease. The majority of the dead were children.

Since the introduction of effective Diphtheria anti-toxins and vaccines, the incidence of the disease has dropped dramatically. Internationally, the last great outbreak of Diphtheria occurred in the former Soviet Union in 1990-1995, when immunization rates dropped following the collapse of the Communist regime.

Flea recommends you vaccinate your children against Diphtheria. The strangling angel hovers, waiting for those who don't.