New-York tribune., 1900-01-08

the open air treatment and under constant medical
supervision. This method of treatment is feasible
at home only to the well to do; for the con-
sumptive poor the sanatorium special hospital IS
the only place where such treatment can be OBJ
tained AS long we have sanatoria or special
hospitals the poor consumptive has to be admitted
into general hospitals. He usually comes there
when in the last stages of the disease. and not
until he has likely infected large number OF
his fellow men. But in a general hospital ne
may still impart his disease to his neighbors sut
ferng from typhoid fever or other acute infections
Only the other day learned that young inferno
who entered one of the New York hospitals a well
had contracted tuberculosis in the perIornl- l
ance of his duties. OF the number OF patients VINO
houses insane asylums and prisons one has
scarcely an idea. Some Of these institutions are
have contracted tuberculosis in general hospital
which he entered in order to get cured from an
Institution. and thus he is lost sight of.
service naust admit that the strict hygiene and
complicated therapeutic measures or q
cannot be carried out there. Thousands OF dollars
are now expended for tuberculous invalids In gen
eral hospitals where, in spite or the pest InteI-
tions on the part of the medical staf the patients
cannot be treated, but only kept; For the same
expenditure goodly number could be & cHTeq 4e tbe
centres of infection forever done away WIN II IN. tI
patients could be sent in time to special lnstitu-
'i0"S THE COST PER PATIENT.
Tn one Of our best sanatoria, the Adirondack Cot
tage Sanitarilm the cost per patient is 81 day.
and the chance of q cure 25 TO 90 per cent better
than in a general hospital According 10 '1ie
thirty-fourth annual report of the commissioners
of Public Charities and Corrections the average
daily expense per capita IN the NewYork hospitals
is 81 16
The writer is fully of the enormous eN
penditure for charitable purposes in the state OF
New-York What plead for is only more just
distribution. If of the S5.8sS 1913 "a which, accorois
to Controller Roberts, was expended IN 1881 oiii'
one-tenth had been devoted to isolating the hope
less cases Of consumption among the poorer classes
and for the purpose or curing the 5 cur sniendjd
sanatoria our State would have mace splesiIuLo
SnDsnm1tion, In giving back to the community a
large number of cured tuberculous PaLt3ins PaLSi +Ss
hreadwuners and supporters or theT IaihilIe9 ~
State and Commonwealth must ultimately OecoHle
the financial gamer -, .,or,on+ for the
relief of consumptves is not charity. II mas I1 tC
its ultimate aim the possible eradlcaIon VI "a The
eaF4y of society as the more directly CONTAGIOUS
diseases such as smallpox, yellow 1eVer etc. &c
to If and the majority Of people con
slider 1t more less inevitable; thereIoie' IL -
Or barton saws that the cOnsumPtive poor a Goulo
be cared for by private means Is II WISE 10 @ 4be
suGn an rorn b most widespread Of all diseases to
private enterprise entirely? 1t is n9I 1y 1 So for
tba nrotection of the we'll Still as many Oh ,n2 ny
writings this subject show yarC Medical Rec
"a SaD+ember 24 1883; Forum January, ISOv},
am and have long been far removed from e%efJ5 oba
oF the care Of all the consumptve poor; put
will private charity alone sutnce. ,5ta IN the
rbyscian and philanthropist must UNITE t,h ~ a
pht pny ny1e" aeainst tuberculosis. which Is as much
social as it is medical problem c.+a sanatoriurn
fo the treatment of patients suffering rol ra,ad i
cipient tuberculosis and only yesLsitss are con-
tennn,atinC the establishment OF slLar S7'-eIy,
ton for the advanced tubeTGui@44S @ fo remain be-
our great Empire state can III A KN0PF NJ d.
New-York Dec. 80, 1899