The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-06
NEW TO-DAY.
CONSUMPTION
Its Cause and Cure.

Any disease which causes gradual de-
cay or wasting away of the body may be
properly called consumption, but by gen
eral usage the term is now applied to
wasting away of the lungs, and to distin-
guish it from other lung diseases, as from
all other diseases of the body, it is scienti-
tcally termed tuberculosis. As this article
IS written for the masses, as we'll as for
scientists, we shall use the word consump-
ton, as it is properly used, instead Of EN-.
ploying the less understood word tubercu-
losis
There is probably no disease so much
dreaded as is consumption. 1t is more
common in climates subject to sudden
changes, but thrives well in all-in the
North, in the South, in the old continent
and in the new continent. Everywhere
the disease is known and dreaded. Were
it not for consumption the mortality rate
would be far lower. 1t is estimated that
about 10 per cent of the deaths in this
country are caused directly by consump-
ton. 1t is quite certain, however, that in
many other cases consumption is COM
bined with other ailments, ultimately
causing death, but from numerous COM
plications not attributable directly to con-
sum ption.
In an article of this character it is not
necessary TO describe at length the action
OF consumption. Every person is more or
less familiar with it, because there is sell
dom a family and never a small commu-
nifty where the disease is not known and
dreaded. 1t seems to reach out It's arms to
the robust and the delicate alike. and grad
ually 1T progresses, sapping the vitality
until death ensues.
All that is necessary to say here about
the action of consumption is that the dis
ease has greatly advanced before it attacks
the lungs. Gradually the lung cells are
destroyed, passing away in an offensive
expectoration, until finally so much of the
lungs has rotted away that the disease be-
comes incurable.
In some cases the patient may live for
years, while in others the patient is sud-
denly seized with the disease, grows rapidly
worse, and dies within few weeks or
months.
So much for the general characteristics
OF consumption. We must look deeper
and ascertain exactly how consumption
originates, how 1t progresses and why it
progresses, in order that if possible, we
can discover a remedy for it, If we ex-
anime the expectoratiOn OF consumptive
with powerful microscope we will see
that 1t contains great number of differ
ent kinds of microbes. Some are tubelike,
OF such small sizes that thousands of them
might exist In drop of the eXpeCtorated
matter without being visible to the naked
eye. A still more careful study of these
minute objects reveals the fact that they
have life and motion and rapidly propa-
gate themselves. The tube-like microbe is
called the tubercle of consump tion, and it
is the countless number OF these tuberces
in the lungs which cause the gradual
decay of those organs.
1t was only few years ago that the par
ticular microbe claimed to be the cause of
consumption was discovered by DR.. Koch.
The scientific world was slow to accept the
microbe theory of consumption, and when
it did accept it. it went too far. 1t pro-
claimed the tubercle the sole cause of con-
sumption, and declared that if it could
once stamp out the tubercle bacillus con-
sumption would be stamped out.
Until few years ago consumption was
believed to be hereditary. AS soon as the
microbe theory was established medical
scientists declared that it was not heredi-
tary, but contagious. On that principle
they urged the isolation of consumptives
and recommended every precaution that
might lead to an determination of the
tubercle, which they thought is the ap-
parent cause of the disease.