The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-06-27

mount; the man who takes a broad
 view of all the circumstances of the
 case recognizes the individual in the
 patient, takes full heed of his nervous
 organization and estimates correctly his
 vital forces. There must, therefore,
 ever be a commanding place for the physician in the highest sense, as well
 as for the clincian who studies clinical
 questions for himself in clinical man.
 her. Further, even with the keenest
 appreciation of the powers of diseased
 germ life, there is a great field always
 before the physician. He has to put
 the soil in the best condition to resist
 infection; to strengthen not only the
 individual generally, but the particular tissues which are likely to be invaded, | The practitioner of medicine, en- grossed in his daily occupation, cannot l be a competent bacteriologist, any more than he can be an accomplished
 organic chemist; it takes too much time
 and trained skill. To attempt to any
 extent, to do his own bacteriologic work
 would result in neglect of his patient
 and the impairment of his own execu tive efficiency.
 A vital question of the present day, perhaps the most vital one, is the erad- ication of consumption. Formerly we knew nothing of the nature of tubereu- losis; now we know it, and with this Knowledge have come imperative du-
 ties. No one part solely of the hab-
 itable globe is interested in destroying
 the disease, for 1t is everywhere, No climate, no race, is absolutely exempt
 though some races and climates suffer more. It Is in Iceland, as in Brazil; it accompanies armies; it is found on decks of vessels. Of every thousand
 persons from two to three die of it-in the country somewhat less, in large cities more; there may be as many as seven or eight and even two or three to the thousand represent about one seventh of the morality from all causes. It is calculated that in the United States alone there are a million of people affected with it. It is more destructive than epidemics, more de- structive than yellow fever. than chol era, because it is continuous and more widespread
 Since our knowledge that contagion is the main cause of the spread of con- sumption, the whole subject hss as- sumed a different aspect. Whatever may be our power ultimately of arrest ing tuberculosis in the individual af fected with it, the great thing to be done now, if we would limit this scourge, is to treat it as we do any other contagious malady--separate the sick from the well; moreover, we must separate them by placing them so far as possible in localities where abund ance of sunshine, purity of air and nu- tritious food can help towards recov- cry.
 A community has no more right to allow this course of contagion to exist in it's midst than it has to allow any other source of contagion for which it legislates The sound must be protect ed from the unsound. Besides, all ob- salvation shows that, under favorable hygienic conditions of country life es- pecally in an atmosphere antagOnistic to the germs, of tuberculosis, large proportion of persons who are in the earlier stages of the disease recover. Those whose circumstances admit of it can seek any climate and make any ar- IdHBGHleIlS ldNOl dDlt IO lllblI ItSlOId- tion. But not so the poor cOnsumptive His lot is, indeed, terrible one. Con- stantly losing strength and power, fev- erish and in distress; shut out from most hospitals because their accommo- dations do not permit them to receive any large number of cases likely to be of very long duration, because, too, it is now recognized that it is a source of | summed and neglected, and | ever growing weaker, while yet obliged | to labor necessarily for the daily bread | of himself and family-the poor con- | is the most pitiable figure in | our midst.
 o. that some Peter the Hermit, some | St. Bernard, would arise and infuse into l us the fervor of crusaders. To what | nobler task could any man devote his | than to the help of the thou sands who are dying annually of con | May some of you feel this | to be your work, and, while accom- plishing vast good, add to the renown of the university which you hold so lear.
 The advance in the diagnosis of dis 1