Pneumonia appears to be spread from person to person by contact, so it is regarded as a communicable disease. As it is contagious, the spread of infection can be stopped if precautions are taken to prevent the transfer of the infectious material from the sick to the well. The secretions from the nose and throat of persons sick with pneumonia, or convalescing from the disease, usually carry the germs that cause it. The transfer may take place through direct contact with these secretions, or inhaling droplets of moist sputum expelled by the sick person while coughing or sneezing. Pneumonia is no respecter of persons. It may attack tiny babies, adults in the prime of life, or elderly people: so everyone must be on guard. This is especially true in late winter and early spring when the disease is most likely to occur. Pneumonia often begins during or just after an attack of the common cold, grippe, whooping cough, or measles, and after surgical operations, especially those upon the chest. In other conditions, such as unusual and prolonged fatigue or exposure to bad weather resulting in a thorough chilling, the chance of infection is increased. Early Signs of Pneumonia In most cases of pneumonia the disease is readily recognized. There is often a preceding cold, but the onset of the pneumonia is usually abrupt, with sharp pain in the side, fever, a cough, a sense of chilliness or evident chills, and the expectoration of sputum streaked, or tinged, with blood. [Illustration: _Immediate medical and nursing care are vital in pneumonia._] If you should ever have any of these early signs of pneumonia, get promptly into bed and stay there. Have your doctor called without a moment’s delay. You will improve your chance of a quick recovery if you give him the opportunity to determine the cause of your infection before it is many hours old. Remember: the longer the disease exists before treatment is begun, the more difficult it may prove to cure. Finding the Cause The exact cause of the inflammation can be determined only by a laboratory examination of specimens of sputum or blood. Fortunately, in most sections of the country, diagnostic services are now readily available. The kind of germ is determined earliest by examining specimens of sputum.[B] Though the patient may have some difficulty in raising sputum, enough for laboratory needs can almost always be obtained if its importance is explained to him. The expectorated material should come from the lungs, and should be as free as possible from mixture with saliva and nasal secretions. The sputum can be collected in any clean, wide-mouthed bottle, or a cardboard sputum box, and sent without delay to the nearest laboratory. Within a short time a report is returned to your doctor advising him of the findings of the examination. If pneumococci have been found, the special type will be named.