The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-08-11

moment played to a certain extent
paramount part in all efforts FOR tho
combating Of tuberculosis, worked Do
quite another direction. He meant the
founding of SdnatOTia for COusumpUVas .
That tuberculosis was durable I'm it's early
stages must be regarded as AN uuIs- -
puted fact. The idea Of curing as many
tubercular patients is possible Jon order To-
reduce the number of those that reached
the infectious stage Of consumption, and
thus to reduce the number Of fresh eIses
was therefore very natural one The
only question was whether the ugmuer
OF persons cured in this way WJIld be-
great enough to exercise an appreciabis
influence on the retTOgresSiOu of tUber- .
culosis He would try TO answer this
question in the light OF the figures at his
disposal. According to the business re-
port OF the German central committee
for the establishment of sanatOria for the
cure of cOnSumptiVes, ABOUT $500 Deus
would be at the disposal of these institu-
lions by the end of 1901, and then, NJ we
assumed that the average stay of carl,
patient would be three months it would p
be possible to treat at least 20 ono patients
every year. From the reports hitherto IS -
sued as to the results that had been -
achieved in the establishments, we learn
ed further that about ~ per cent of the D
patients that had tubercle bICilI I'm To airr
sputdm lost them by the treatment there
mis- was the only sure test or SUGGEST
especially as regards prophyldxis. If wee
made this the basis of our estimates woe
found that 1900 consumptiVes would leave
lDGfR tSldDl4Suu.tNlS annually as t..I.a.I. a
But, according to the statistics ascertain
ed by the German imperial office Of.
health, there were 226,OO0 persons iu Ger
many over fifteen years Of age who We're
so far gone In consumption that hospital
treatment was necessary for them. Com
pared with the great number of con.
sumptiVes, the success of the establish
ments IN question seemed so small tlIt
material influence on the retrOgressi1u To-
tuberculosis in general was not yet t11
be expected Of them. But they must
not imagine that he wished by that
calculation of his to oppose the
movement for the establishment of
such sanitoria in any way. He
only wished to warn against the oyer
estimating Of their Importance which had
recently been observable in various quar-
ters, based apparently on the opinion that
the war against tuberculosis could DE
waged by means OF sanatOria alone. and
that other measures We're of subordinate
value. In reality the contrary was tho
case
What was to be achieved by the gem
eral prOphylaXiS resulting from TrCOgui-
ton of the danger of infection and tine
consequent greater caution u Inter-
course with consumptiVes was shown by
a calculation of COrnet regarding the de-
crease Of mortality from tuberculosis tu
Prussia in the years 1889 to 1897 Before
1889 the average was 81 a per 10000, where
as in the period named IT sank to DIS.
which meant that I'm that short space Of
time the number of deaths from tuber-
cUlOSiS was $4,000 less than was to be
expected from the average of the proceed
ing years. The sanatoria would never
render the other measures he had mem
tened supcrfluOuS. IF their number be-
came great, however. and If they per-.
formed their functions properly. tleF
might materially aid the strictly sanRarv
measures in the conflict with tuberculOs s.
IF now, in conclusion, they glanced
back once more to what had been done
hitherto for the combating of tubercu-
losis, and forward to what had stu to
be done, they were at liberty TO declare
with a certain satisfaction that very
promising beginnings had already been
made. Among those he reCkOned the con-
sCmpt'on hospitals Of England, the legal
regulations regarding notification On Nor
way and SaXony. the organization Gre
ated by Biggs in New York the saua-
tOria and the instruction Of the people.
All that was necessary was 20 go on de-
Yeloping those beginnings. to test and.
If possible, to increase their influence on
the diminutiOn Of tuberculosis. and wher-
ever nothing had yet been done to do
likewise. IF they were continually guild
ed in this enterprise by the spirit OF
genuine preventive medical science; n
they utilized the experience gained iu
conflict with other pestilences. and aim
cd. with clear recognition of the purpose
and resOlute avoidance Of wrong roads.
at striking the evil at it's root. then the
battle against tuberculosis which had
been so theoretically begun, could not
fail to have a victorious issue