Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1889-07-05
CONSUMPTION DURABLE.
STRONG PRESENTATION OF EVI-
DENCR THAT 1T is NOT AN
INHERITED DISEASE.

The recently puOllShed sldOo'
ment of Drs. PrOdden, BlggS and
LOOMS to the New York board o
Health in regard to the contagious
ness of pulmonary tuberculosis
Consumption and tue means Of
protection therefrOm contains use
tul information that merits the
attention of every man, woman
and child in the land. Briefly put
the substance of the statement Is
that CONSUMPTION is not inherited,
! is distinctly preventibIe and is
often cured. tn berculOsis is very
common. Domestic animals, and
especially cattle, are frequently
affected by it. About one.fOurth
of the deaths of grown persons are
caused by 1t and nearly One.half OF
the entire population acquire 1t at
one time or another during life.-
It's caused by living germ, the
tabercle bacillus, which finds its
way into the body and multiphes
there, if the conditions favor, pro-
ducing tubercles. These tubercles
soften aud give out a discharge
containing the living germs, which
IS thrown OIL from the body. When
the tubercles are in the lungs, con-
stituting consumption the ex'
pectUratiOn consists largely of
these fatal germs. The latter do
not grow outside the body, but
they retain their vitality and
virulence for q long time, even
when thoroughly dried. II is
when dried and floating In the air
as an impalpable dust that they
are most dangerous. Consumption
is commonly produced by breathing
air in which the living germs are
suspended as dust. The origin OF
the posiOn, as already stated, is
chiefly in the expectOratiOn of per
sons suffering from consumption.
They cough up a Sputum which
contains the germs IN enormous
quantities. This is deposited in
places where 1t afterward dries, as
on floors, carpets, clothing, hand
kerchiefs, sc. When dry 1t readily
breaks up into minute bits which
float in the air as dust. The entire
Surroundings of cOnsumptive pa.
tents are made poisonous with this
dust. Repeated experiments show
that the dust gathered from almost
any part of a hospital ward, asy-
lum, prison or private house where
a consumptive resides will produce
tuberculosis IN animals lnOculated
with 1t, while the dust from places
where the disease does not exist
has no such effect. IL is important
to note that the breath of person
having consumption does not COM
municate The disease, nor does the
spit of the consumptiye patient
communicate it so long as it is re.
tanned IN its recep tacle in a moist
state. 1t Is only when it dries and
Is scattered By currents of air that
it Is dangerous. The prevalent he
belief that consumption is heredi-
tary is due to the fact that the
children of consumptives are more
than others exposed to the tuber.
Gle bacilli, which find the way to
their lungs from handkerchiefs,
carpets, floors aud the clothing of
the afflicted parent. It's conceded
to be likely that the child may in
herit a weak condition of the lungs,
which renders it more liable than
another to succumb, but it is now
known that the disease, itself can
be caused only by the entrance of
the germ into the body. IL may
be transmitted by meat or milk
from animals suffering from tuber.
culosis. The milk of cows whose
lungs are affected often contains
the living tubercle bacillus, and
the need of caution in the purchase
of milk is emphasized by the fact
that 20 or so per cent. of stall fed
cows have the disease. Boiling
the milk and thoroughly cooking
the meat destroys the germs, and
this is a precautOn that should
never be omitted when there is any
reason to suspect ones milk or beef
supplies. Consumption is how
ever, as a rule, communicated from
man to man through the medium
of the perniciOus dust whose origin
we have described. To prevent
the formation OF this d list by pre-.
venting the drying OF the expecto-
rations Of cOaslmptive persons is,
therefore, the only effective mstn'
of preventing the extension OF con
sumption TO those about the patient
aud Of curing the patient himself.
The pItieat may diminish his
chances OF recovery Oy self.in0c Ma
ton if he negiect5 the proper pre-.
cautions. What, then, Is u be
donei Only thiS-tj blrn the
spittle Of the cOnsumptive person
before i. mas htl tlms u dry
Handk ,rchief> shOIid be billed
very soon after beng Use / By a
cOnsu np.ive person; ia hl1 hinlS
they ar eytre n:.y dag
articles. ExpectoraiiOa on the
floor or porch sho I'D not Of course
be thought % for moment. In a
word, the cure ald prevention Of