San Saba County news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1874-19??, 1893-11-24
DIR. AMICK'S DISCOVERY.
isolation Of Consumption Is Causing Wide
Spread CONSERVATION
AMONG MANY THOUSAND cONsuMprWEs-
Merits Of the Project Argued by Prominent Physi-
cians-The Action Of the Michigan
Board Of Health

diseases and requiring safeguards 10
prevent its spread, is causing wide
spread newspaper discussion as to the
propriety of similar action in other
States.
Not only has the Michigan Board
OF Health taken this radical step, but
the County Medical Society of Phila-
delphia has petitioned the Board OF
Health there to isolate consumptives.
The Pan-Americsn Congress also
passed a resolution at the recent
Washington 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
-Islrned over to the especial hospit-
ais. - which in reality will be pest
houses.
The turmoil which the proposition
has created, is steadily increasing,
and a great wave of opposition is ap-
pearing.
Friends OF consumptives declare
that if isolation of the patients is at
tempted in special hospitals, numer-
Gus outrages will result and that not
only will unfeeling persons, who want
to get rid of sick relatives. dump them
upon the hospitals, but Vaccinations
will arise of most evil character.
Small tradesmen, for instance, af-
flicted by a cough, may suddenly find
] themselves moved out of their com
petitors' way, by a judicial process
which will send them to the special
consumptive hospital to end their
days.
Some declare that while the appear
ance Of smallpox or cholera in the
land is the signal for immediate. wide
spread alarm, and the inauguration of
( severe repressive measures, consump-
ton, 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 raw
4 ages 1t is claimed that as half of the
people who have consumption do not
I realize the fact, they spread false
! confidence among their friends, who
carelessly allow themselves to come
in contact with the victims, and are,
in turn, fatally infected.
The Herald commenting on this
subject, quotes the action of the Con-
gres de la tuberculosis. recently held
in Paris, in which the following reso-
luton was adopted:
in view of the fact that life in
common of consumptives with the
other patients in the hospitals is dis
advantageous 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 opinion that all consumptive
patients should be gathered together
in special hospitals in groups, accord
ing to the period of their disease, and
that these groops 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 qoun-
try. or ut the seashore.
FINALLY, as a transitory measure,
TO last as short 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 COLOMBO con- 4
sumptives from New England The /.
idea is to erect suitable buildings and |,
put the patients at gentle work, at
tending to fruit and poultry, bee cult /
ure and gardening, insisting, all of the |
time. upon suitable physical exercise.
The idea is that patients in the first |
stages of consumption might be bene-
flied in the mild, dry air of Colorado, |
and that their light labors can be |
turned to the pecuniary advantage of
the syndicate.
The Cincinnati Post over year ago
interested itself in the question of the
cause of consumption and the posi-
bility 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 ofthe
leading physicians of Cincinnati on
the latest aspect OF the case, l. e.,
that relating to the proposed isolation
of consumptives, interviews were Sc
cured with Drs. Whitaker, Judkins,
Amick, Drumming and others.
DR. William Judkins said: Il
thoroughly believe in the scheme for
the isolation of consumptive patients.
The best plan is to take the patient
out of his home and put him in a
house specially built for cOnsumptives-
The idea may seem harsh one, but
it is certainly in the interest of the
friends of the sufferer. The great
trouble with the project would be to
get patients in the first stage of the
disease to go to such retreat. Most
OF them don't believe that they have
consumption, and you can not con-
vince them to the contrary"
DR.. Whitaker said: Il do not APP
prove of the isolation project simply
because I do not think it would do
any practical good. Isolation. the
takinr away of a consumptive from