The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-12-18
THE DREAD BACILLUS
tuberculosis Claims 163, 5OOVic-
Tins Annually in America.
CONSUMPTION GAN BE CURED.
1t Cannot Be Inherited, but II Easily
Transmitted by Inhalation De-
crease OF tho Death Rate.


| ease which physicians call phthisis pull
monalis, or tubercular disease of the
lungs. Not all cases of gradual wasting
away. even when accompanied by chronic
cough. such as most people would call
cases of consumption, are due to tuber-
cnlosis, and tuberculosis includes several
diseases that are not commonly called
| consumption. In this paper the word
consumption will be used as equivalent to
tuberculosis of the lungs, while tuberculo-
sis will be used to include all diseases pro-
duced by the peculiar little vegetable
organism known as the bacillus tubercu-
losis, consumption included. This bacillus
| may grow in and produce disease
of almost every organ and tissue of
the body-it is the cause of the pecu-
liar Inflammation of the membranes of
the brain in young children known as
hydrocephalus, or tubercular meningitis,
or brain fever; when it affects chiefly the
glands of the neck the result is known as
scrofula-and it is the cause of large part
OF so-called spinal carries. hp-joint dis
eases, etc. This year there will probably
die in the United States about LILO, 900
people of all ages, and about IA per cent.
of these, or in round numbers 1853, 500, will
die as the result of tuberculosis, and this
last figure includes al 900 deaths from
consumption. 1900 deaths from tubercu-
lar meningitis. and 10,500 from scrofula,
tables mesenterica and tubercular affections
OF the bones and joints.
Each of these deaths represents at least
two years Of sickness. that is. there are
two persons constantly sick from this
cause to each death-which means that
there are now in the United States at least
327. 900 persons affected with tuberculosis,
or about one out of every 200 persons liv-
ing, taking the present population at Co.
100000. The army Of sufferers must be
cared for, and their dead must be buried.
If we allow 5000 year as the cost of medi-
cines. medical attendance. food, nursing.
etc. tor each sick person, and S25 for
funeral expenses in each case of death, We
find that tuberculosis has cost the country
over SOS, 100000 this year. This does
| not include indirect damages due to
| loss of labor, nor the loss produced by
tuberculosis in our cattle. Let US now
| consider some of the statistics of con-
sumption alone. The greatest death rate
from this cause is found in New York city,
where the average annual rate for the six
years ending May 81, 1880. was SOL per
1000. During the same period it was, in
| Boston. 3.S6; in Brooklyn. 29S and in
Philadelphia, 2.97 per 1000 During the
year ending May 81. 1890, it was, in the
District of Columbia, $50; in Delaware,
Island, 2.66; in New York state, 247; in
New Jersey, 234; in Connecticut, 2.33 in
Vermont. 19S; in New Hampshire, SO.
| These are the highest rates for the states,
| and these states are the only ones which
have fairly complete registration of
deaths; We cannot fairly compare with
these the death rates in the other states
deduced from the returns of death made
by the census enumerators; because such
| returns are incomplete and inaccurate
but we will give them, as follows:
Maine, 22S; Pennsylvania, LAG; Maryland,
222; Virginia, lisa; North Carolina, SO; South
Carolina, l.S3; Georgia, LIZ; Florida, 0.96; Ala
bama. L4S; Mississippi, IL: Arkansas, lo7;
Louisiana, 1.S5: Texas, O. 92; West Virginia. I49:
Ohio. l.E; Indiana. L59; Illinois, L4S Michi-
| O95; Minnesota. Liz; Visions sin. liz; Missouri,
l.32; Kansas, O95; Nebraska, 0.57; Montana o. Al;
North Dakota, o.9l; South Dakota. o.63; Utah.
Nevada, O &c; New Mexico, 0.63; California, $50;
Oregon, O. 81; Washington, 079.
All Of these last death rates are too low
except those for Florida and California,
which are too high, yet they may be taken
as showing that consumption is more
| prevalent in the North Atlantic region
| the states and territories west of the Mis-
| sissippi. 1t affects the colored people
| more than it does the whites in the same
| localities, and the Irish more than those
| of other races. 1t is more prevalent in
| cities than in the rural distrlcts-but there
| is q marked difference between the sexes
| in the mortality in these two localities
| for in the cities it causes out of all deaths
| about Is per cent. IN males and IA per cent
| in females. while In the rural districts it
| causes 10 per cent. in males and IA per
| cent. in females. The reason for this is
that consumption is an infectious dis
| ease, being propagated mainly through
| the sputum, or matter coughed ND bv per
sons affected with it. This sputum con-
| tains the bacillus tuberculosis and its.
| spores In large numbers, and when il be-
comes dried and ground into dust it is
carried into the air by currents of wind,
or by sweeping and busting of the ordi
nary kind, and is then inhaled and the
! spores begin fresh growth. Thus it is
| that houses and rooms become tubercu-
! lous; and such houses and rooms are more
| frequent in the Older settled and more
| crowded localities; that they are more fire.
| qnent IN the crowded tenement houses of
| Nortqern cities and among the negro
| shanties of the South than elsew here; and
that women, who stay more in the house,
| and are the nurses of the sick, are more
liable to the disease than men.
! Ii person inhales some of the dried or
| partially dried spores or rods of the bacil-
| lus of tubercle, the probability that he
| Will become affected with consumntion
! depends partly on the number of such
| spores which he has inhaled and partlv
/ upon his own physical condition. and es
| pec!aliy on the condition of the LAYER of
| cells which lines his air passages PROM
| ably the great majority of people living in
| citleS lnha!e more or less tubercle germs
/ d
| 100 OF them becomes Injected. Certain
| persons seem predisposed TO consumrtion
! 10 use a common phrase--lt used 10 he
! supposed that the disease was hereditary
| because such large proportion of cases
| occurred IN certain families We now
/ Know that the seaSe cannot be produced
| without the presence OF the specific hacI
| Ius, and that this bacillus very raraIv
/ passes from mother to child Many cases
| OF supposed inherited Cousumntinn ora
! really due 10 infected houses, beddino eto
| Tor the spores retain their vItaIifv fnr
! years: but probably the blood and tisepes
! Oh some persons are more favorable to IN.
/ growth OF the bacillus than others. and
! the susceptlbiIity thus produced NAV no
! douot, lie inherited. Moreover. this sne
CA. susceptibility can he artitciallv nro-
/ duccd. TINS Is effected bv rebreathinl air
/ Which has recently been in the luncs ~
/ man. II requires some time to nroduce
/ TINS result, bus the experience OF armies
Where the soldiers are kept in Unyentilatei
. barracks, leaves little room to doubt thai
long continued breathing OF foul air mo