MICROBES AND MEDICINE

Evening Star, Issue 17926, 23 March 1922, Page 3

MICROBES AND MEDICINE

CAUSES OP CONSUMPTION. At a luncheon at tho Holboro Rostearant D-r David C. Muthu,_ tho medical superintendent of the Mendip Hills Bsjiflr torirnn, Wells, Somerset, and th© witliw of a recent work on ‘ Pulmonary Tuberculosis,’ said that fear of microbes had dominated twentieth century medicine, while the sovereign remedy lay in faith in tho healing powers of Nature. Serial conditions rather than micro-organiania were tlie cause of tuberculosis, ana social conditions as an aspect of tuWculcai* were much more important than Ciljy specific aspect. Whether for good or ill, man created disease conditions from within, and, therefore, also created healing conditions from within. Microorganisms were the consequence rather than the cause.

Insufficiency covered tho who!© field of the causes of tuberculosis—insufficiency of fresh air, foot!, light, and restful (surroundings. Those were the four cornerstones in tho life of man. The whole of civilised history showed that the trials Of war, the high cost of living, and heavy taxation caused tuberculosis to increase, while in conditions of general well-being tuberculosis declined. The great tragedy of Central Europe had brought out conspicuously the fact that thousand* _of adults and children Lad become victims of rickets and tuberculosis as a result of war and chronic under-feeding. Nutrition was a far more important factor than infection, and the times demanded that we should shut our eyes to micro-organ-isms and pay attention to social condition®. ! ■