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Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 16823, 23 August 1920, Page 2

One of the facts that appears to be established by medical science is that diseases, even the most terrible, gradually change their type by dint of pagation from ono individual to another, .and that “the tendency is for them to become less violent. Leprosy, for example, has almost* disappeared from Europe, although in the middle ages “iazar” houses iiad to be set up in all big towns. Smallpox, too, JS quite uncommon, though two or three hundred years ago almost the whole population at some period of life sinterred from the disease It seems probable that tuberculosis was taking tho same course previous-to the recrudescence caused by tho war. In 1860 there wore 69,000 deaths from (tuberculosis in England, but in 1913 tho number was just under 50,000, a decrease of 29 per cent. During tins period tho population had increased by 70 per cent., and the ratio of deaths to population fell from 3300 per million to 1340, tho decrease being really 60 per cent. These figures seemed to indicate that another generation might see tho mortality from tho white plague almost abolished. The general consensus of opinion is that the improvement, though aided by increased knowledge of how to treat the disease, was chiefly due to the general rise in tho standard of comfort of the population, especially in the direction of better feeding and less over-crowding. The war, by exposing many men to hardships which brought out the latent weaknesses in their constitutions, has greatly increased tho number of cases of tuberculosis, and has postponed the final success of the-struggle against it. The position is, however, hopeful, tor wo are fighting a winning battle, knowing as we do the predisposing causes and the best methods of dealing with the disease.