The evening times., 1899-10-30

| gress will be called upon this winter to
enact suitable legislation for the prevention
and spread Of consumption. 1t is said that
a bill will be introduced in the House for
! the erection of a national santarium to be
| under the immediate supervision Of the
Marine Hospital Service, and in view Of
the contagious character of the disease it
is not improbable that some vigorous ac-
tion will be taken looking toward stamping
out the plague. for it is fast becoming a
plague, as statistics of the large cities
show. The fact that the United States
Government is deepely interested in the
matter is shown by instructions recently
sent our consuls abroad ordering them to
obtain data on the subject In accordance
ons. has transmitted the following from
the League for the Prevention OF Tubercu-
losis:
For every six persons. In this country,
at least one dies OF consumption. OF the
5000 deaths that occur every year in
France, over 100000 are caused by pull
monary tuberculosis or phthisis. and this
number. instead OF decreasing. goes on
augmenting every year. Hardly family
but pays to 1t a sad tribute. No disease,
no scourge, can be compared to tuberculo-
sis SO far as the number Of the victims
Is concerned. All epidemics and contagious
diseases combined-typhoid. varioloid.
scarlstina. measles. diphtheria. cholera,
etc.-do not cause half as many deaths.
The parasite Of this disease may also
be found In beef (above all. COW beef.
poultry. rabbits. and milk. The latter
should be boiled. or. better still. sterilized.
Milk is sterilized by placing the vessel con-
tanning 1t in a tin pail full OF water and
letting it boil forty-five MINUTES. The hab-
it of drinking blood at slaughterhouses is
dangerous and without any salutary re-
suits.
Some persons have a tendency to con-
sumption and should be especially careful:
for instance those whose relatives have
died from consumption or who are feeble
from privations. The abuse OF alcoholic
liquors is particularly favorable to con-
sumption. Over 20OO infants under two
years of age die annually of consumption
in Paris. This disease is curable where
1t has not advanced too far for those who
are willing to submit to long months and
In special sanitariums."
The time is fast approaching when States
will quarantine against consumptives. CAL
ifornia, it is said. has already started such
a movement. A recent despatch ON this
subject from Detroit says:
THE attention of the State board of
health has been called by the Michigan
State board Of health to the case of twenty
clerks in a German brewery. who. in a
short period of time. were taken sick with
consumption. all of them having worked
over records which upon examination by a
bacteriologist. were found to be infected
with tubular bacilli.
Further examination showed that they
had been infected by a consumptive clerk
who had the habit OF moistening his fin-
gers in his mouth whenever he turned the
pages of the record book. sIn this way all
the books had become thoroughly infect
ed"
When shown the above by Times re-
ported this morning Dr. William C. Wood
ard. Health Officer Of the District. who is !
an authority In lung trouble said
1T has been an established fact for |
that consumption is contagious |
the same as other malignant diseases. In |
fact. il is more dangerous because an ig- |
norant consumptive can do more harm in !
a healthy community than a person in |
fected with smallpox or yellow fever, for |
the reason that the latter diseases are |
quarantined.
THE great danger" continued DR.. Wood |
ard, lis in association with the consump |
tive. The indiscriminate- scattering OF |
sputum by the consumptive is where the |
great danger lies. 1t dries quickly, and fills |
the air with the tubucular bacilli. which
inhaled by the healthy plants the germ
from which consumption develops.
'Of course. all persons are not thus
affected. for the reason that some are
stronger and healthier than others. just
the same as many persons escape the
smallpox of other contagious diseases.
THE case in the brewery in Germany to
which the despatch refers does not at all
surprise me. although. in my judgment, it
is exceptional. You know 1t frequently
happens that persons deposit their sputum
in their handkerchiefs, and when using
hat article on a street car the tuberculo-
sis bacilli drops of and floats In the air
and is inhaled by the passengers. Thus
are the germs of the disease spread. and
the passengers may become inoculated.
There is really more danger in the sputum
han there is in sleeping with consump-
i've"
DR.. Woodward said that there was al
ways more or less danger in handling books
hat had been thumbed by consumptive.
because the tuberculosis bacillf deposited
herein retained power to spread the dis
ease for years afterward. The bacilli
,ould also be carried in cigards made by
but the burning of the in
ected cigar would, of course, destroy the
,acilli. although it was possible to even
contract consumption by smoking How
,ver. he said. the chance of being infected
,y cigars was very remote.
DIR. George W. Goler two days,a ago, read