The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-06-17
The Prevention Of consumptioa.


1t is now well known that consumption
is caused by germs, called tubercle bacillus,
getting into the system. This fact was
established by Robert Koch in 1882. and it
has been confirmed so frequently since
that no intelligent person disputes it. Until
late years, consumption, which causes more
deaths in this country than any other
| disease, was little understood by physicians
and scientists, but the discovery Of Robert
Koch marked the beginning of a new line
Of research with regard to it, and it is
probable that in tins it will be so well I'M
| derstood that. if it is not made to yield to
treatment. it win at least become much
less general because of precautionary
measures taken against it.
Not long ago the board of health of New
York requested Drs Prudden, Biggs and
LOOMS, OF that city, to prepare paper
upon consumption. The paper has; just
been made public, and it contains state
ments which, apparently, areof great value.
These gentlemen say that the disease is not
directly inherited, but is contagious. being
in nearly every instance caused by the re-
ceiving into the body of the germs from
other persons afflicted with it, or by trans
mission through the milk or the flesh of
beasts. When the germs find their way
into the body, they multiply greatly, if the
conditions are favorable, and produce tu-
bercles which have tendency to become
soft, the discharges from which contain
germs that cause the spread of the disease.
The germs thrown off by expectoration do
not grow outside of the human body,
but they retain their vitality and virulence
for long time even after having become
thoroughly dried. Experiments have shown
that the dust collected from hospitals, asy-
lums and private houses where the disease
existed produced consumption in animals
by incubation, and, on the other hand, that
dust collected from places where the disease
did not exist did not have that effect. Re
garding the prevalent belief that the dis
ease is directly inherited, the report says:
THE frequent occurrence of several cases
OF consumption in family is to be ex-
planned, not on the supposition that the dis
ease itself has been inherited, but that it
has been produced after birth by transmits
sion directly from some affected individual.
Where the parents are affected the children
from the earliest moments of life are ex-
posed to the disease under the most favor
able conditions for its transmission, for not
only is the dust of the house likely to con-
tain the bacilli, but the relationship also
between parents and children, especially
between the mother aud child, is of that
close and intimate nature especially favor
able for the transmission by direct con-
tact"
The measures suggested to prevent the
spread of the disease are as follows: First,
the security Of the public against tubercu-
Lar meat and milk is to be attained by
system of rigid official inspection of cattle,
or by thoroughly cooking the meat and by
boiling the milk. 1t is estimated that among
stall-fed cows 20 per cent. or 80 per cent.
are sometimes found to be affected by con-
sumption; second, by the dissemination
among the people of the knowledge that
every tubercular person may be source of
actual danger to his associates If the dis
charges from the lungs are not Immediately
destroyed or rendered harmless; and third i,
| by the careful disinfection of rooms and
hospital wards that are occupied or have
| been occupied by phthisical patients