The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1895-08-30
THE WHITE PLAGUE.
It's Peril to Colorado and the Plans
That Have Been Taken to
Avert II.


1t is seemingly paradox to say that
n place can be too healthy or salubrious
for its own good; that that fact can be
it's bane, its irretrieyable ruin, writes the
Denver correspondent of the New York
Evening Post. Yet this il what the doc
tors of Colorado, recently in session here,
have told the people of this state and
warned them accordingly: In words of
unmlstaken meaning and forcibiy put,
the people have been told that their
perb climate is in imminent danger Of
d]reful contamination from the great in
lux of consnmptiyes into the state. and
that Colorado Springs was especially in
danger. and the people Of that delightful
place were warned that the catastrophe
which has bpfallen Mentonc. France.
was near upon them unless the greatest
precautions were quickly undertaken to
avert that fate. 1t was pointed out tina
in effect Colorado Springs vas like Men
tone. Forty years ago the latter place
was a healthy village in France. where
lived peasantry happy iii their farms anil
climate. 1t was then discovered that
the region of Mentone was a most hnaing
| climate for consumptives. and it became
the Mecca for the unfortunates of Eufops
so stricken. The inhabitants abandoned
their farms to wait upon the strangers.
diaries and became the washerwomrn of
the consumptves' clothes. No pre,:au-
tons were taken: the disease was not
then understood as now. the theory of the
tubercle bacillus not having been distov-
cred. The place today is baciIlus-rldderi.
pcsthole. death itself. The hitherto
strong habitants are emacatrd. d cough
ing. bleeding peoplc-consump
Nor was Colorado Springs alone warned
Of the fate of Mentone. brit al Colorado
The warning is certainly needed. timely
and 10y frequent DINING into tb" ears Of
The. people will be heard. Whether by
Colorado Springs is Il question: Most
If not indeed terrible; to be even for a
short time in one of those large dining
halls of the hotels. 1t is cough. cough,
cough. from every corner of the room.
In Colorado the town is familiariy known
as "Hemorrhagrvil". Not a few pee
pie. though appreciative of its beauty.
cannot stand the place because of lis
melancholy evidences Of phthisis.
Statistics are not obtainahie ns to the
rum Der of consulnptives here. but their
number is certainly great and rapidly i'll
oreasing. The state has such Il variety
of attitudes that any condition of lime,
can be accommodated. to say nothing If
the agreeable dryness Of tn" air and tn"
abundant quantity of sunshine. 50 the
stricken come from eveiy quarter Of the
United States. and even EUROPE. i'll MUM
bers daily. While, of course. the state
ment is relative and to I've accepted rs
Indicative only of the number of
sumptivcs i'll the state, it would seem
from walking among the inhabitants that
six of every ten We're here. because IF SON.
lung trouble. or because some one ul
whom they We're dependent was AL
conversation at first leads to this subject.
A new arrival on being in,rnduc..I a.
| such ir invariably questioned. Come gu,
| for the usual troubt:" Children have,
learned to ask a similar question. a> one
| who seeks and lives in boarding house
| finds out He i~ soon asked 10y tn" play
| ing little ones in the street Say. mister,
are you hunger! or. DO YOU belong to
| the army! tnf"elng. hut sincere: a
bold and unexpected slap to a sensitive
| person If ''luncer or of thu, army
The precautions urged on the afflicted
are proper and tHectual destruction Of
their Sputum. which contains the larilli
| Ihe Colorado physicians recognize that
| ignorance of the disease. together with
| laxity of precautions if it is under>t",rl
| is the enemy to he fought They hav"
disseminated pamphlets descriptive ~
the disease and containing advi'e h"',
to handle it. But the recent appear
anre here of the disease in nl';v+.-i,rrl
Coloradians has inspired them t" new
and more fnrreful efforts. Thy nr."
! now that the ,rnSumptivt, hp ,ugrtCAl-
| ed. not only in Colorado. but throughout
| the | nited States, and in the region ur
which Colorado is the CENTER c,niraciny
1G3.Fh square miles. They suggest the
| erection here and ther" of d .:erit> Of
cottage Senatorial The idea has been
| tried in the Adiron'i,ck> with success.
| 1t is thought that the expense to any
| patient could be, brought t" as low a
figure as 81 per week for board and
lodging. The physicians think that the
state should build such cottages and
even the national government: in fact
Congress was memorialized to that effect
by the physicians in crnv"ration. They
said that consumption was u fearful
plague. which should and can tr> stamped
| out; Il great or! is made over Il cholera
| or yellow fever plague. which at most
| kills 10000 people annually. hut without
! 4 word is witnessed the killing Of Soy
| eral hundred pr"rl: annually hy cni,-
! sumption. They believe the national
hospitals for con>umrtive> would as
| thoroughly stamp out the disease rs the
| hospitals planted all over Europ'' i'll nrdi
aeval times effectively stamped out l"lro-
sy. which became plague after the
cruSade>.