Evening journal., 1893-01-17
THE MORNING SESSION.
Dr. Cooper Speaks of the Advance Of
Science and its Approaching Battle
with Tuberculosis.

Dr. Cooper Speaks of the Advance of
Science and its Approaching Battle
with Tuberculosis.
At 11.30 o'clock the conference was
called to order by Dr. j j. Black He
stated that the meeting was called for
the purpose of investigating contagious
diseases among lower animals and their
effect upon man.
Dr. A. T Neale moved that the election
of officers and all routine business be de-
ferred until some future meeting to al
low all the time to be devoted to the dis
cussion of tuberculosis and anthrax. His
motion was carried.
Dr. Black delivered a short address of
welcome in which he attended to the inn
portance of an examination into the
causes of and the measures necessary for
the prompt extirpation of contagi GUS
diseases, not only among animals, but
also among men
The Death Rate Large.
DR.. E. w. Cooper. president of the State
Board Of Health, was called upon to speak
upon the condition of health in the
state. He congratulated the Farmers
Institute upon the prosecution of its
investigations, particularly in the cases
of tuberculosis and anthrax. He said
that the people Of this state would soon
learn that an ounce of prevention is
worth pound Of cure in matters of this
kind. He said:
Scientific investigation has reached
point which, twenty-five years ago,
would have been undream of.
1.-THE members of the Board of Health
are not working for themselves. There
are seven officers who do not get one
cent for their services. 1t seems strange
that doctors who fatten upon disease
should labor thus to stamp out the very
thing from which they gain their liveli
hood. Pride in our state makes us use
every effort to keep down the death rate,
Tuberculosis is one of the most fatal
diseases we haYe to combat in human
kind. The following figures will show
the fatal effect upon people in the state
of Delaware In 1881 there were 1 ,344
deaths in the city of Wilmington OF
this number 1913 were due to tuberculosis
causes In 1882 the ratio was / 20
1883, more than TO 2 1884 more thar
/ TO 2; SS5, nearly to z; 1885, nearly !
to 8; 1887, little more than l in g; 1888
more than 1 in 2 1889, more than I in 6
1890, in u 1891, / in II, nearly. That
shows you the large increase in the
death rate from tuberculosis The per
centage of death rate in other contagious
diseases is about 6 in the 1000 In
Kent county the rate is 107 and in Sus
sex As in the 1900, showing the rela
tive healthfulness in the city and the
rural districts.
There are two things necessary t.
eradicate the disease One IS to destro.
the elements upon which it feeds. Will
this food taken from the bacilli they woull
die. The other is to destroy the germl
in their incepiency by destroying tn
animals which produce them. A health.
man could take a quart of bacilli int
his system and throw it off withou
injury. I would recommend this matte
TO the careful consideration of the Legis
lature. The laws should be stringen
enough to protect the many but no
stringent enough to unnecessaril
oppress the few who possess thes
diseased cattle There should be pre-
vision for nominal indemnifcation 70
cattle ordered destroyed by the stat
veterinarian
The meeting then adjourned until 1 81
During the recess the guests took Dime
at the Deer Park Hotel, while the vetei
inarians were engaged in killing an
dissecting two cows which were suffei
ing from tuberculosis. After dinner th
bodies were examined by large numbe
Of persons. The signs of tuberculos
were plainly manifest in both ami nal
One was affected in the lungs and II
other In the udder and lymphatic GLAND
of the intestines.