The San Francisco call., 1896-11-21
The Board of Health Will
Provide for Examin.
atoms.
Suspected Cases of Consumption
to Be Tested by the Bac.
teriologist.
By This Means the Disease Nav B.
Almost Wholly Exterminated
in Time.

San Francisco will have its station for
the examination of all suspected cases OF
consumption, so the Board of Health is
abreast of the most advanced thought OF
the times in the treatment of disease.
Two days ago DR.. J. o. Hirschfelder
stated that he believed consumption could
be eradlcated in a few generations by q
system of examinations of all persons
afflicted with "consum ptlve' coughs or
suspected of having consumption. This
opinion is the result of his observations
of the oxytoxin treatment discovered by
himself which has cured cases of con-
sumption in its earlier stages. Yesterday
another physician, who has given the
matter considerable study, supported him
in this statement, and other doctors said
it was possible TO eventually eradicate
tuberculosis. However. they wanted to
see local Boards of Health take up the
than wait for Government aid, which
is slow in coming. Dr. Farnum stated
that the City Board OF Health should es-
tablish a archaeological station to con-
duct such investigations. "My opinion
is,' he said, THAT the Supervisors here
| ought to provide funds for public bacte-
biologists to examine free of charge all
specimens of sputum and other speci-
mems which physicians may take TO
them for examination. This would aid
very much in making an early diagnosis
and stop the spread of such diseases as
tuberculosis.
1.-The Board of Health has already made
provisions for public bacteriologist and
appointed DR.. Spencer to that Office. at
present his laboratory is being fitted up
at the City Hall, and within a brief period
he will be at work with an assistant. The
original intention was to confine the work
to dIphtberia and typhoid fever, as in
New York, where there are many stations
in that city where physicians can obtain
gratis a culture tube and a sterilzing swab
for diphtheria tests. As soon as a physi-
clan is called to case suspected to be
diphtheria he sends to the nearest station
for such set, he introduces the Bwab into
the patients throat, rubs it over the inte-
rior of the culture tube and then returns
the set to the station. This tube is imme-
dlateIy sent to the Health Office labora-
tory, where it is placed in a culture oven
and an investigation of the germs is made.
the physician receives a report whether
the case is one of true diphtheria or not.
"By this means many cases of throat
disorders, otherwise mistaken for diph-
liberia, are correctly diagnosed and the
family is saved the annoyance, if not the
injustice, of being quarant tined. Besides,
II the disease be diphtheria, 1T Is known
next day and the physician can treat it
intelligently."
DR.. Henry II. Hart of the Board of
Health said yesterday that he believed
this department should be general in its
work and include consumption cases.
II believe that the Board of Health es-
tablished the laboratory for the benefit of
people afflicted with any disease. Surely
1t cannot be for diphther1a alone," he said.
I'VE cannot ignore disease which in my
opinion kills hundred times more peo-
pie. l mean tuberculosis.
why should the Board of Health neg
iect a disease that would affect genera
tions? Why object to having the sputum
examined in the public meteorological
laboratory? That institution is for the
beneflt OF the people, for the public good,
from the fact that 1t is their money which
maintains it. | think there will be one or
more assistants to DR.. Spencer OF course,
it is still in its infancy, but as time pro-
crosses, gradually it will reach large pro-
portions.
''As this Board of Health took the mi
tiative in testing milk and cows, other
cities in California followed its example
30 should think they would also eslab-
lish bacterioioEical stations patterned
after ours. More good will be done this
way than by waiting for the General Gov
ernment to move. l feel satisfied that if
the Supervisors are convinced that such
an institution is Tor the good of the public
health they will gladly make the neces-
sary appropriations for conducting bac-
THEOLOGICAL examinations on a scale to
meet the demand upon the physicians in
cnaroaD