People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1893-11-17

NOJ Only ndS the Michigan DOdru OF
Health taken this radical step. but the
County Medical Society. of Philadel-
phia. has petitioned the Board of
Health there to isolate cOnsumptives.
The Pan-American Congress also
passed resolution at the recent Wash
ington convention calling on the
National Government to take steps in
the same direction. even going so far
as to ask President Cleveland to give
his personal attention to the matter.
The result has been that National,
State and civic authorities have been
appealed to, thereby causing conster-
nation to thousands of consumptives
in every State in the Union, who are
in terror lest they should be torn from
their homes and friends, and turned
over to special hospitals, - which, in
reality, will be pesthOuses.
The turmoil which the proposition
has created, is steadily increasing, and
great wave of opposition is appear
ing.
Friends of cOnsumptives declare that
if isolation of the patients is attempted
in special hospitals, numerous outrages
will result and that not only will I'M
feeling persons who want to get rid of
sick relatives dump them upon the
hospitals, but Vaccinations will arise
of a most evil character. Small trades
men, for instance, afflicted by a cough,
may suddenly find themselves moved
out of their competitors way, by jul
dicial process which will send them to
the special consumptiye hospital to end
their days.
Some of them declare thct while the
appearance Of smallpox or cholera in
the land is the signal for immediate,
widespread alarm. and the Inaugural
ton of severe repressive measures. con.
sumption which is always present and
is chronically epidemic. is allowed to
take an unchecked course, the people
not realizing that it is far more deadly
than any other disease. and is slowly
but surely increasing its silent ravages.
1t is claimed that half of the people
who have consumption do not realize
the fact. they spread false confidence
among their friends, who carelesly al
low themselves to come in contact with
the victims, and arc, in turn, fatally
infected
The n. Y. Herald, commenting on
the subject, quotes the action of the
Congle s dc Ia Tuberculose, recently
held in laris. in which the following
resolution was adopted
in view of the fact that life in COM
mon of consumptives with the other
patients in the hospitals is disad.
yentageous both to themselves and
others, and that the risks that they run
and to which they expose others are
not compensated by any serious profit,
the members of the Congress are of the
opinion that all cOnsumptive patients
should be gathered together in special
hospitals in groups, according to the
period of their disease, and that these
groups should be as small as possible
at the earliest stage of the complaint.
In consideration of the fact that in
the present condition of the science a
continuous and sufficient supply OF
pure air is one of the most powerful
elements in the treatment of tubercu-
losis, it is also advisable that these
hospitals should be built in the coun-
try, or at the seashore.
FINALLY, as transitory measure, to
last as short a time as possible, con-
sumptives should, for the time being,
be united in special wards in the hos
pitfalls, apart from those of the other
patients, and the walls and furniture
of these wards should be disinfected at
stated intervals"
Another scheme for the isolation OF
consumptives, which has just been an
nounced by the Denver (Colo) News,
is to the effect that w. N. Byers, rep
reSenting a syndicate of Boston CAPT
talists, has applied at the Office of the
Colorado Land Commissioner for Sec
tionS of land on which to colonize
consumptives from New England. The
idea is to erect suitable buildings and
put the patients at gentle work, at
tending to fruit and poultry, bee cul-
ture and gardening, insisting, all of
the time, upon suitable physical exer-
else. The idea is that patients in the
first stages of consumption might be
benefited in the mild. dry air of Colo
RADIO and that their light labors can be
turned to the pecuniary advantage OF
the syndicate.
The Post over year ago interested
itself in the question of the cause OF
consumption and the possibility of its
cure. Since that time many other
newspapers have devoted attention to
the subject.
Recent statistics, carefully gathered,
have shown that one-seventh of all
the deaths in the United States from
disease are caused by consumption,
and this startling fact, prominently
presented, has served to increase the
agitation which has been aroused.
In order to get at the opinions of the
leading physicians of Cincinnati on the
latest aspect Of the case, i. e., that re-
lating to the proposed isolation of con-
sumptives, interviews were secured
with Drs. Whitaker, Judkins, Amick,
Drumming and others.
DR.. William Judkins said: 81 thor
oughly believe in the scheme for the
isolation of eonsumptive patients. The
best plan is to take the patient out of
his home and put him in a house spec
tally built for consumptives. The idea
may seem harsh one, but it is GER
tainly in the interest of friends of the
sufferer. The great trouble with the
project would be to get patients in the
first stages of the disease to go to such
a retreat Most of them don't believe
that they have consumption, and you
cannot convince them to the contrary.
DR.. Whitaker said: 81 do not ap-
prove of the isolation project simply
because do not think it would do any
practical good. Isolation, the taking
ou-av of q noncrp,p+iva from, he bo,,,o