The Winslow mail., 1899-01-07
A CONSUMPTION CURE
The Great Crusade Is Now Under
Way in England.
Eminent Medical Men Have Adopted
n New Means of Combating
the Life-DestEoyiEg
Disease.

There have been consumption cures
without number. Some have come in
bottles and were easy to take. Others
were in the form Of medicated air,
which the patient inhaled. Again the
cure was by incubation. But for rea-
sons as varied as the cures themselves,
ali have failed.
The climatic healing has proved a
success in almost every instance where
the victim Of tuberculosis could be in
duced to make the change in time. In
/ fortunately one Of the mental phenonl-
ena Of consumption is the patients be-
/ lief concerning himself, or herself.
! Not in one case out of one hundred can
/ they be made to understand their dan
ger in time. The cure by climate, how
+ ever has one serious draw back, name
ly, expense.
y movement is now on foot in Eng
land TO establish a cure that viii be
within the reach Of even the most mod
est income. Physicians long ago rec
Cgnized that consumption was not nee
essarily fataI. They have also known
+ that those threatened, or indeed al
ready in the first stages, could cure
themselves if they would but persist
in the following out of few simple
rules Of life.
The new cure, which Will be pro-
NOTED by an association of physicians
and philanthropic laymen in England,
will follow these rules IN operations.
The society is TO be called ''The Ma
ticnal Crusade Against Consumption
Society"
1t is no visionary scheme. This is
shown by the fact that the most emf
nent medical men in Great Britain are
interested in the movement and vii
be present at the first formal meeting
Of the society ii October, at which the
prince Of Wales Will preside.
The society will have an organiza-
tion not unlike that of a mutual life
insurance comPan~; that is, as many
subscribers as possible Will be secured.
The membership fee will be five dollars
4 year. Small as this sum is, it viii, it
is anticipaG Ged, more than suffice, as
many persons viii become members
who will never have occasion to call
upon the society for aid, while for S25
one may become life member.
The organiza ton viii conduct it's
crusade in accordance with what the
most recent study of consumption has
brought to light. To begin with, it will
combat the idea that the disease is nee
essarily inherited. This may be one Of
the reasons of its spread, but con-
trary to the general belief it is far
from being the most common.
Another point on which the society
Will lay special stress is the danger
from that unique device, the modern
fat. 1t is argued that the fat is one Of
the most fruitful sources of tubercu-
Iosis because OF the insufficient light
and air allowed. Thus the fiat aud the
G1isease-infected dwelling house, or the
house that is too thickly shaded. will
be two of the first objects of attack
This cure by education, as il may be
called, is, however, only one of the pur-
poses CT the society.
The subscription money, it is eX-
pected, will mark figure that will
make it possible to build number OF
retreats for those actually in the grip
of consumption.
These retreats will be in no sense
hospitals. The houses will be small,
detached cottages, with ample veran-
das, SO arranged that while still per-
mitting the free access of air and sun
light. they can yet be shut off from
winds and draughts. The patients viii
live entirely in the open air. Their
bedrooms will be without carpets, rugs
or curtains az the windows. Tie win
dows will be protected by an arrange
ment of shades that will allow of their I
being constantly open, no matter from
what quarter the wind may blow.
There are certain atmospheres, how
ever, which the patients will be guard !
ed against-when it is damp or when
raw winds are blowing. The air will
be ''drieG out" before it is admitted to
them-a matter that can be easily ac-
cOmplished by simple mechanical de-
vice.
These retreats will be established in
The south of England, where the eli
mate is admirably suited to the needs
of consumptives, and where the soil is
dry and sandy-a point Of the utmost
importance, by the way-and where
there is an abundance Of sunshine the
year round.
Medicine will play no part in the
cure. Diet and exercise will be the
two weapons in active use. \ simple
course of physical training. with fre-
quent baths, will be persisted in.
Proper breathing will be taught, for
not one person in 500 breaths correct
ly, and a proper use of the lungs in this
respect does more to keep up a good
bodily condition than anything else
Philadelphia Press.