Asheville daily citizen., 1894-03-19
CONSl MPlilES AND A
STATE BOARD or UElLTI

From the New NGrk World
The State Board ot Health has issued
a circular stating that the communlca-
bility of pulmonary tuberculosis has
been 50 thoroughly established and is
now SO generally recognized by the mcdi
cal profession throughout the world,
that the board has determined to take
such active measures as may be consist
cnt and possible for the prevention OF the
disease.
Local health officers will hereafter be
required to register the name, address,
sex and age OF every person suii ring
from tuberculosis within their respective
Jurisdictions, so lar as such Information
can be obtained.
This Information will he solely tor the
use of health officers, and in no case will
visits be made to such persons by public
officials nor will any public sanitary
surveillance OF such patients be assumed,
unless the patient resides i'll tenement
house or hotel, or unless the attending
physician requests that an inspection he
made of the premises; and III no case
where the person resides in tenement
house or boa, ding house or hotel, it the
physician requests that no visits he made
bv inspectors, and is willing himself to
deliver circulars OF information as is re
qurcd to prevent the extension OF the
disease to Others.
1t is further directed that i'll al, cases
where il comes to the knowledge of Il
local health officer that premises which
have been occupied by consumptivcs
have been vacated by death or removal,
an inspector will visit the premises and
direct the removal of injected articles,
such as carpets rugs, bedding, etc, for
disinfcction and will make such written
recommendations to his immediate Su
perior concerning the cleaning and reno
waiting of the apartment as may be re
uuircd An order embodylrg these rec
concentrations will then he ISSUED to the
owner OF the premises, and compliance
with the order will be enforced tor sani-
tary reasons,
Consumptivcs are advised to sleep
alone, and to have their bed clothing
and personal clothing boiled and
washed separately from the clothing be.
longing to other people. Rooms which
they have occupied should be cleaned,
scrubbed, whitc-washcd, painted or pa.
pcred.
For the information OF corsumptivcs,
the board adds that consumption is a
disease which can be taken from others,
and is not simply caused by colds A
cold may make it easier to take the dis
case. 1t is usually caused by germs
which enter the body with the air
brcathcd. The matter which consump
tivcs cough or spit up contains these
germs in great numbers; frequently
millions are discharged in a single day.
This matter spit upon the floor, wall or
elsewhere, is apt to dry, become pull.
verified and float in the air as dust. The
dust contains the germs, and thus they
enter the body with the air brcathcd,
The breath of consumptivc does not
contain the germs and will not produce
the disease. A well person catches the
disease from a consumptive only by in
some way taking in the matter coughcd
up by the cons,mptivc.
1t is not dangerous for other persons
to live with II consumptivc, ii the mat
ter coughcd up by the consumptivc is at
once destroyed. This matter should not
be spit upon the floor, carpet, stove, wall
or street, or anywhere except into II
cup kept for that purpose. This cup
should contain water, so that the mat
ter may not dry, and should be emptied
into the closet at least twice day, and
carefully washed with hot water.
Great care should be taken by Il con
sumptive that his hands, face and cloth.
ing do not become soiled with the mat
ter coughed up. II they do become soilcd,
they should be at once washed with hot
soap and water. When consumptives
are away from home the matter coughed
up may bc received on cloths, which
should be at once burned on returning
home. II handkcrchieis are used worth
less clothes which can Ike burned are far
better) they should be boiled In water
aloue before being washed.