The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-03-07
To FIGHT MICROBES
One Method of Combating
Consumption in Time.
ALL MUST HAVE A CARE
According TO Mrs. LongShore-
Potts to Prevent Spread.

Mrs. Longshore-Potts received an Eagle
reporter at the Carey hotel yesterday. She
Is a bright little woman of mature years,
with dark eyes that sparkle vivaciously
behind gold spectacles, which give her
singulariy wide-awake appearance. and
has a faculty of placing a stranger imme-
diately at ease. The Eagle reporter asked
her about consumption. She replied: 1T
is unquestionably a fact that tuberculosis
is the cause of more deaths than any other
one disease in the world. 1t is also fact
that tuberculosis is not hereditary. This
should be thoroughly understood. Tor it
refutes a tradition of long standing, and
one still extensively entertained. The
prevention of this disease is so easy, and
it's mortality so enormous that it is a mat
ter of surprise that civilized people have
not long since established a systematic
warfare against it. Little or nothing can
be done to cure it, but it can unquestion-
ably be prevented. Do you know that over
one hundred thousand people die annually
in the United States of this disease alone?
Hundreds of thousands more are unques-
tionably wounded by it; that is. they are
attacked and have the ability TO expel or
throw off these dangerous little animals
We are justly worried about tie mortal
ity, though small, in the late war, which
resulted in the death of only three hundred
odd by wounds, while nearly two thousand
five hundred died of disease germs, mostly
typhoid. The microscopic enemy to the
human race is no less real because he
cannot be seen by the unaided human eye.
If our war had continued, say two years,
with the result that in that time two
hundred thousand of our men had been
killed in battle we would have regarded
it as one of the greatest horrors IN his
tory, and yet it is fact that we plod
along in the midst Of the most deadly
enemy the human race has ever seen,
with a pitiable equanimity. Now, as TO
prevention Of this disease, I will say that
tubercle baccili multiply only in the bod
les of animals. Human beings spread the
disease by the deposit Of sputum on the
Sidewalks or upon linen. A person af-
fected with this disease should know that
when he spts on the sidewalk or any other
place where the sputum can dry and be
converted into dust, that that dust blown
into the nostrils of a healthy person en-
dangers that persons life. The consump-
tive himself IS in no sense dangerous, eX-
cept in this way and in kissing. This
expression Of affection should be discon-
tinued by the consumptive. tuberculosis
Should be reported to the health author
flies with the same regularity that small
pox, scarlet fever, etc, are, and the con- |
should be impressed with the |
of not splitting on handkerchiefs, |
or in any place except in liquid. Linen |
soiled by the sputum of a consumptive |
should be Immediately burned. We can
all do something to lessen the terrible |
spread of this disease. A suitable flask |
say a five per cent solution of |
carbolic acid could easily be used by a |
when travelling or when away |
from home. Next in order in the cause of /
this disease is the drinking of milk and |
eating the flesh of infected cattle The
enormity of this danger can readily be
grasped when we know from twenty to
forty per cent of the cattle in the eastern
and northern part of the United States are
infected with this disease. Cattle should
therefore, be thoroughly inspected by an
Expert anu all meat condemned IQaC lS
diseased. Have you ever noticed how few
If the Jewish race hava consumption?
And this is directly due to their custom
If having all meat thoroughly and care
July inspected. The drinking Of uncooked
milk is a direct and great source of dan
ger I am free to say that uncooked cows
milk is a dangerous article of human food.
The Italians are largely ahead of us in this
natter. For some years people affected
With tubercular diseases were instructed
low to care for themselves and to min
mize the danger for others, and this was
lone systematically by properly trained
medical officers, with the result that the
disease was almost stamped out in certain
portions Of that country. 1t would GER
ainly, in my mind. be far more advan-
ageous to pay a skilled physician 20 do
his work; in other words follow some
what in the steps Of the Chinaman, who
lays his physician TO keep him we'll not
o cure him. I do not wish to be under
TODD as saying that every one who takes
he tubercular baccilus into his system will
'e affected by il. A large number of peo-
lie are immune, and others have a faculty
Z expelling il. but as We have no means
T knowing beforehand who is and who is
ot immune, the greatest care should be
xercised''