The Bessemer indicator., 1893-11-18
THEORY OF ISOLATION.
70 SHUT UP cossumpr,vEs.
Widespread ConstsrnAtion Aaoag Con
sunptivss Caused by the suggestAoa
to Place Them la Special Hos-
pitAis As = Means OF Pre-
venting tho spread u
the Disease.

L
safeguards to prevent Its spread, IL causing
widespread newspaper discussion as TO the
propriety OF similar action In other states.
Not only has the Michigan Board Of Health
taken thi, radical step, but the County Med
ical Society, of Philadelphia, has petitloned
the Board OF Health there to Isolate con-
sumptives. The Pan American Congress also
passed resolution at the recent Washington
convention calling on the national govern
ment to take steps In the same direction even
gong SO far as 10 ask President Cleveland TO
| give his personal attention 10 the matter.
The result has been that national, state and
civic authorities have been appealed to, there
by causing CONSERVATION TO thousands OF con
sumpiives in every state 10 the Union, who
are In terror lest they shonld be torn from
their homes and friends, and turned over to
special hospitals" which, in reality, Will be
| pcsthouses.
The turmoil which the proposition has Gre
atcd Is steadily increasing, and great wave
of opposition is appearing.
| Friends Of con-unptIves declare that II iso-
iatIou OF the patients is attempted In special
hospitals, numerous on,rages will result and
| that not only Will unteeling persons who want
TO get rid OF sick relatives dump them upon
| the hospitals, but machiiatons will arise uf a
mos, evil character. Small tradesmcn, for
| Instance, afflicted by cough. may suddenly
ind themselves moved out OF their competi.
tors way, by q judicial process which VIII
send them TO the special coreumptlve hospital
| To end their days.
| Some declare that while the appearance OF
smallpox or cholera Ia the land Is the signal
for immediate, widespread alarm, and the In
| auguration OF severe rcpresslSc measures,
consumption which is ALWAYS presen. an is
chronically epidemic, Is allowed to take an
unchecked course. the people not realizing
that 1t is far mere deadly than any other dis
ease, and is slowly but surely incrcas Ing Its
silent ravages. Ii Il claimed that a halt OF
the people who have consumption do not re-
allzc the fact, they spread false confidence
among their friends, who earelessly allow
themselves to come IN contact with tile Vie
iims, and are, in t,irn, fatally infected.
The New York Herald comm nt'ns on The
| subject quotes the action uf the tongreS de Ia
Tubcrculose, recently held ih Pa.!s, IN which
The following resolution was adopted:
SIN view o. the fact that life In common OF
consunpiIvcs with the ohcr patients Ia the
hospitals Is disadvdntngeous both 10 them
selves and others, and that the risks that they
run aud to which they expose Others are NOT
compensated by any serious profit, the ineiii-
bers Of the Congress are Of the opin on that
all cousumptvr patients should be gathered
together III special hospitals in group, ac-
| cordng to the periol OF their disease. and
that these groups should be MS small rs posi-
bic at the earliest stage Of the complaint.
"ln consideration of the fact that IN the
pres Mt condition OF the science continuous
aud sufficient supply OF pure air is one of the
most powerful elements 10 ths treatment OF
tuberculosis, It is also advisable tint these
hospitals should be built IN the country. or Ut
the seashore,
"Finaly, as transltory measure, TO last rs
short II time Us possible, consumptives Should,
for the time belng. he uulicd In special war'is
In the hospitals apart from those Of the othrr
patients. and the walls and furniture Of these
wards should be dlsinfcc,cd at stated inter
vals.n
Another scheme for the ISOLATION of con
-umptivcs, which has just been announced by
the Denver (Colo) Ners, Is 10 the effect that
w. \. Byers, representing syndicate OF Bo>-
ton capitalists, has applied at the Office OF the
Colorado Land Commissioner for sections OF
land on which to colopize consumptives from
New England. The idea Is TO erect suitable
buildings and put the patients at gentle work
attending 10 fruit aud poultry, bee culture
and gardening. insisting all Of the Tine. upon
suitable physical exercise The idea Ia taat
pat cuis In the first stages of consumption
might he benefited In the mild, dry air Of
Colorado and that their light lnbors can be
turned to the pccunlary advantage OF the
syndicate
The Cincinnati Post over year ago inter
ested itself in the question Of the cause of
consumption and the possibility of its cure.
Since that time many newspapers have de-
voted attention TO the subject.
Recent statistics, carefully gathered, have
shown that one-seyenth OF nil the deaths in
the United States from disease arc causei BY
consumption, ,,a'Yi this startling fact, promi-
nenly tresente9 has served 70 increase The
agitfTion wheh mas been aroused
Iu order to get at the opinions OF the lead
ing physicians of Cincinnati on the latest
aspect Of the ease, |. @. that relating to the
proposed isolation of consunplivcs, inter
Views secured with Dr.. Whitaker, Jud-
kins Amlok, Brunnlng and others
Dir. William Judkins said; 81 thoroughly
haI In sf.I for I fhp Inn of
sumptive patients. fhe best plan is TO take
the patient out of his home and put him In n
house specially built for consumptIvcs The
idea may seem a harsh one. bui It Is certainly
in the Interest of friends of the sufferer. The
great trouble with the project would be 10
get patients In the first stages OF the disease
to 20 to such retreat Most OF them don't
believe tliat they havo consumption, and you
cannot convince them to the contrary.h
Dr. Whitaker said. II do not approve of
the isolation project simply because ! DO not
think 1t would do any practical good. lsoia-
tiou, The taking away of n cou,umptivc from
hl- homo and friends, would be rather In
human.n
.'ls every case Of consumption the result OF
contact with some other case. or Is the disease
sometimes sporadic, like chalerai"
NO. There is no such thins. ~ sporadic
consumption II Is not even an inherited
dt-ease. Every case owes It's origin 10 COM
mnnication. Many cases OF consumption are
.
It TO twenty well persons. Strong men, with
no predis sposltion that way, ret II. Why. one
OF the worst places to contract consumption
Is In a po.ioiiicc corridor. consumptiyc
coming In spits on the floor. lie spreads the
germs of his di-easc to be inhaled by others
who enter There should be cuspidors in
postoliices, In market houses and in all otlier
public places. Splitting by consumptiycs upon
Sidewalks Is not 20 dangerous, as the open air
disscmnates the germs more widely than In a
build ng.f
"Do you think that consumption Is increas-
] ing or decreasngi'
| 'Probably decreasing, on account OF better
methods used In treating IT. The newspapers
eau do great good by calling attention 10 the
] great dangers of consumption and noting the
necessity FOR greater care in guarding against
the disease. People are too careless. No
| doubt lsolat on would be OF benefit to patients
and do good, but 1t could rot lie enforced
! DR. W. X. Amick. who resigned his profess
! snr.hp in the Cincinnati College OF Medicine
and Surgery, held for seventeen years, To de-
vote himself to curing consumption, said:
n am. OF course, opposed to Isolation, be-
cause my theory is that consumption Is not
directly produced by any outside cause. !
hold that the bacillus ml..robr is the effect, or
product, and not the cause of the disease SO
1t IA very evident, in my opinion, that isola-
ton you'd accomplish no good"
you mean to say, then that the lnhaling
Of the dried-up sputn, containing these MI
crobrs, is not harmful -
"On the contrary" DIR. Amlck replied,
"any dust or cxtraneous matter would pro-
duce mechanical irritation OF the parts and
he likely 10 occasion lung troublc-as the In
halation OF the dried sputa OF consumptlye.
just as n speck Of dust irritates the eye, the
inhalation Of any foreign matter irrItates the
air passages"
| Continuing, DR.. Amick said:
..Yon may state nv opinion that the
natural secretion of the healthy mucous mem.
branc either destroys the germs so inhaled or
renders them Of no effect, so far aEy In
trlnslc power to produce the disease is con-
cerncd. II consumption was either contagi-
ous or infectious, ! would have bad 1t long
since, as ] am daily closeted with the worst