Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1901-08-15

SO we are all fools. have hoped some
OF US would escape, but 1t seems not to be
so. But there are others.
The fact exists that about one humid
red and twenty-five thousand people die
annually In the United States from tuber-
oulcsis. During the years 1Se7-9S and 60
the last OF which We nave a report. --1Ji5
people died in Vermont of the Same dis
case. 1t is generally conceded by all COM
petent to Judge that tho disease although
hard to cure. IS easily preventatle. IL the
people can be educated up to the idea that
it is contagious easily transmitted from
person to person. from animal TO animal
and in all probability from animals to man
end vice versa; that the disease can tie
contracted in no other way. and that an
intelligent cooperation of all of the people
on the lines of prevention would very mat
orally lessen the number of cases If II did
not entirely eradicate the disease
That the disease for several years has
steadily decreased pro-rata With sanitary
Improvements there can be no question.
The greatest proof that all medical men
are fools, to my mind is that they should
spend so much time, money and energy in
an attempt to educate the people in SANTA
ton, and to incur the i'll will of the iguor-
ant. and | am sorry to say, that Of Soma
VINO arc supposed to be educated in tAeir
honest and intelligent efforts to protect h.
people from disease, when the result is
That there is a difference Of opinions re-
gardng the identity of human and
bovine tuberculosis is admitted by all.
This there is q difference of opinion about
there being a Creator of the Inverse t.
equally true. That the consensus OF opin-
ion among medical men and all those who
have studied the subject Is more uuani-
mods in the former than that of students
of theology In the latter, l believe, u am
not student of theolcPy)
There is no "king-pin' In the medical
profession, probably because We are "du
fools" and attempt to do our own thinking
I must admit that when DIR. Koch takes
snuff the whole medical profession
sneezes but no more so than III the case OF
scores of othcvs, but when the attack
PASSES away and the mist and moisture J.;
wiped from their eyes they 90 on seeini
for themselves as before, probably be-
cause they are fd OILS
In the paper of DR. koch's read before
the London Congress, We ira that the
consideration of this question does not oc
cupY such an all-important place as the
cabled interview with the author had I'm
FLIED. wittstandirg, a resolution wa.
practically unanimously adopted by The
SINE Congress, composed of rnany men Of
regulations equal to that of kochs s, ex
pressing the opinion of the Congress that
health lficers should continue every enor
to prevent the spread of tuberculosis
through milk and meat. A comnlissio:
was appointed by the German Government
In July to examine the results Of Koch
experiment on bovine tuberculosis, and L
make other experiments in order to deter
mine definitely the exact relation between
, human and bovine tuberclc hacili, AMI tn
Berlin papers warn Feir readers not Il
: accept the views onunciated by Prof hoc'
! until they have been suhstantiated by oth
er inves tigators, and say that preoauhon
= no of nh a
t by milk must not he relaxed.
Regarding the priority of Koch's so
! called discovery, which was no discover,
at all, simply partial refutation Of II
} eral belief, DIR. Theohald Smith Of tn
= bureau of Animal Industry at Washing
l. ton made practically the same cxp"rimen
. with the same results and published tn
, results in the first half of the year i&,
e Or. Koch began his experiment in $50
2 After Or. Smith had concluded his expert
I ments, both he and the Bureau he repres
: ents continued to advise and the Govern
y mont TO require all possible precaution
I against the spread of tuberculosis by mi.
c and meat. and still continues to do so, a
does the British Governre nt. The fact q
\ the transmisihiity of bovine tuberculosis
\ to the human family, for obvious reason.
4 never was, and never can be the discover
= OF any ono man.
e. What knowledge we already posses
. ture. will Re by careful, persistent. pains
s taking Observations of scientific mon. eS
d tending over years Of time. The proof
already conclusive enough to warrant tn
o utmost caution and care for the prSsevvj
r tion Of health and life.
Q "Whv not take the American Indians
t We will consider them for a moment. Pr
Il or to the discovery OF n'trica and &c
= some time after its settlement by whit
V people. we have no knowledge of whethC
n the Indian suffered from consumption r
1t not In the absence Of positive inform
r tons We conclude not Since they becom
IS the wards Of the National Governmer
o and have suhsisted largely upon beef fu'
y nished by INSCRIPTIONS and dishonest cor
d tractors. and in view of the fact that the
r consume not only the flesh but most of III
t viscora and much Of it in raw condition
Is tuberculosis has become the worst diseas
,e the red man has to contend with, and thi'
e Notwithstanding their out of door mode {
5. living.
The big men Of the profession are NJ
d falling out among themselves one ha
Is but to consult recent medical text book
g and read the current medical literature
n and listen to the able papers read at IN
~ meetings Of the various Congresses +
d the SUPPRESSION Of tuberculosis I'm this an
d foreign countries, to find a practical unar
v unity of opinions.
= The ReVerendFarmer seems to have cor
Il siderable INSTRUMENTATION regarding ye
4 low fever All that there Is new about
= is that mosquitoes are carriers Of the cor
IL tagion from one yellow fever patient ,
q another No particular theory has bee
l. exploded, we have simply learned MOI
o about it, And expect that the professio
x will continue q get rev IDEAS until IN
10 end Of time. end more or less OF what W
ID have learned will be improved upon an
Is much discarded because 1t has been prove
7 10 be erroneous. In the meantime We d