THE " GREAT WHITE PLAGUE."

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLIII, Issue XLIII, 21 September 1909, Page 1

THE " GREAT WHITE PLAGUE."

CONSUMPTION-FIGHTING IN THE UNITED STATES. In the June number of the "Me tropolitan Magazine," Mr 0. ¥.. Lc wis, of the Charity Society of Xew \ York City, contributes his final ar- \ tide on "The War on the White , Death." The previous articles grai phically described the terrible facts 1 deduciable from the past history of consumption in the United States and elsewhere, and the crying need for a world-Tvide campaign against the disease. "What are we going to do about it?" Prevention, he points out, has become the slogan, the fighting cry of the social worker, and may be accomplished iby publicity and education, research, legislation, sanatoria, and ' hospitals, and sanitary devices, to cheek the spread of the disease. State associations for the preventioi of tuberculosis exists to-ay in 31 States in America, and on March 15 1908, there were 273 of these assoeia tions. "Springing up like musli rooms, many have already taken roo like elms." The. entire public is no yet interested,, 'but the fact thai 750,000 persons during seven weeks attended the International Tuberculosis Exhibition, held in New York last -winter, and nearly 500,000 ir. five weeks in Philadelphia, is quoted as evidence that attention has been aroused. "Measured by dollars, the campaign in the United States in IPOB cost over a million," and more associations were formed in that year than the entire number previousy established in the country. Ihas interested organised labour to a large extent — so much so that almost every Labour union is beginning to discuss tuberculosis at its meetings, and an effort to provide treatment for factary employees is successfully carried on in Connecticut and other States, the employers contributing ;,• sum equal to the total subscribed by the men. Another vantage ground is thn schools, and special classes or schools for consumptive and pro-consump-tive children have been established in several cities, the sessions being held out of door, or in schoolrooms where all the windows are open. "r'hidron studying? nn«3 reeitinjr wS*« overcoats and mittens oil arc stTange sights, but they thrive under ~a K treatment." The campaign has also been joined in by the congregations of Churches of all denominations, th.Roman Catholic Church leading numerically, the clergy having been asked to instruct their congregation* regarding the disease, which mean-; "that 17,000,000 Catholics in thf United States will be asked to joir the fight." Fraternal orders, •too, are givinp serious attention to the subject, ant! several have, of their own- initiative made "group provision" for , the'r memlbers. On;e organisation, tlu Modern Workmen of America, is building a novel kind of sanatorium at Denver, individual shades and tents being assembled around administration builings. The campaign was inaugurated about a year ago, n fund of £20,000 being raised in subscriptions from members. The first colony of 60 tents and a central building is already built and filled. The treatment is free, but insurable cases are not received. The organisation finds that its death claims : have been largely reduced in consequence of the attention it has de voted to tuberculosis. The percentage which IS years ago was 20 if now reduced to 13.0 per cent. Tho Knights of Pythias and the Oddfellows are planning to erect sanatoria", tie Y'-MjCjA. jmaintain* . s health camp at Denver, and the International Typographical Society Iwis a home amd tuberculosis camp at Colorado Springs. So the movement is growing, and producing •r. preat awakening to the dangers of the disease. Bat, as Mr Lewis points out, al though education of tho people if rosessary, knowledge of tho disease, without lairs to enforce the precautions that have been learned, will ti cf comparatively little avail. Tlir States are recognising this, and in many of them it is now made compulsory that cases of tuberculosis should be reported and registered Twelve States contain sanatoria or lospitals for indigent consumptive patients, and others are rapidly acquiring sites. The California BoaH of Health, imbued with the necessity for 'bringing home to people the tcr rors of the disease, has sent out f. ' ' travelling tuberculosis exhibition c:ir, ' ' a leading life insurance company has offered to spend £25,000 iD a campaign to^ reduce tuberculosis if the laws of the State, "will permit such use of the company's funds; and a Toronto gentleman has offered scholarship cprizes to students of the university, who pass the best examina tion on the subject of tuberculosis. The final injunction of the writer is this: — "Remember that tuberculosis is a stealthy enemy that waits for us 'to get 'run down.' The main things to keep us well are fresh, pure air in the home, schoolroom, and workroom, proper food,, cleanliness, temperance in all things, a regular life, living out of doors as much as possible. iLet us avoid dust; let us admit plenty of fresh ail- several times a day to the Toonis in which we live, or -work, or studj r ; let us keep at least one window of our sleepingroom well opened, at • night. The night air 5s not harmful. What is harmful is 'old' air. Let us clean with damp cloths and brooms, or, if we believe in new things, with! some kind of vacuum cleaner. But let us not dust and clean in a way to stir up the germs to float in the air of the rooms. In shoTt, let us use our own commonsonse regarding, the preservation of our health." And he quotes this admirable little set of '"don't rules," issued., to school children recently toy Dr. S. A. Knopf, of Now York:— -. Do not wet yonf -finger's in your mouth when" turning tho leaves of a book. iDo not put money in your mouth. 'Do not put pins in your mouth. {Do .not put anything in your" month except food and drink". Peel or wash your fruit before eating it. , Never sneezo or cough in a person's face. Do not spit except in a spittoon, a pieco of cloth, or a handkerchief.. Never spit on the floor or sidewalk. Learn to love fresh air. Learn to breathe deeply. .Do it