The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-02-17
PLEA FOR SANATOR|UNy
ONLY THE STATE CAN COPE Sue
CESSFULLY WITH TUBER-
CULOSIS
DR.. HANssEN's STATEMENT
Greatest Living Authority on Con-
sumption Says 1t Can Be Cured
if Proper Treatment
Can Be Given.

A little more than a year ago DR..
Klaus Hansen, the greatest Scandinav-
ian authority upon the subject of tu-
berculosis was invited to address the
Storthing in regard to the ravages of
that disease, and to suggest some plan,
by which it could be held in check He
accepted the invitation and his remarks
upon the subject are of particular in
| terest at present. in view of the fact
that a measure providing for a sanator-
ium for the treatment of conslmptives
is now pending before the Minnesota leg
islature. .fr-z g,
Portions of DR.. Hanssen's address, as
translated by DR.. A. E. Loberg, of this
city, are as follows:
Since have undertaken to come before
this assembly to talk on the subject of
''TuberculOsis and Our War With This
Destroying Disease" 1 beg to have the
privilege of explaining why l have taken
up this cause.
I have practiced as a physician nearly
thirty years, and in this time 1 have lived
to see tubereulosls increase from year to
year In the IS. B. Hunt" which lies
nearest to me, there was an increase OF
eighty per cent in this period. You will
understand how often the question has
come to my mind: What can be done
to stop this curse of the country"
Year after year there are numbers,
mostly young men and women, coming to
me and asking for advice against this
them The young peoples belief in med
tcines can not be shaken, but year afte.
year 1 am more convinced that 1 have
nothing that will help them. Too often
nave l given stones for bread" as I
have advised those living huddled to-
gether in small rooms, with large farnl-
hes, to live in the fresh air, to get more
noursh1ng food when l know they had
all they could do, when in health. to
keep from starving.
You will understand therefore, that I
over this race inflicted with tuberculosis.
and Why l am willing to work with all
my strength to better the results for
those who might be tnf1ictedgin the COM
ing generation.
Experience teaches US that nature IS
not against US. England, in the last fifty
years, had decrease of mortality from
50 to "A per LOCO, nearly one-third. Yet
~ per cent since 1858. We have also
been taught that tuberculosis is not an
ncurable disease, and that at least In
one-half of the cases under scientific
methods it can be cured.
Personal experience gives me the fol-
lowing results. 1 have consulting pra1-
lice IN which L meet a great deal Of tu-
berculosis, this year, for instance, about
practice which might be said to be large,
and composed of Well-to-do families.
IN this practice l met a large number
of cases, especially in the seventies and
eighties. l had ter. deaths from 1876 to
1887; from 1888 to 1890 only two cases died
In the last few years 1 have had only
I'VE consumptfve patients, one of whom
died from it. X,
The same factors that have limited the
spread of the disease, and so reduced the
danger to the individual afflicted with 1t,
among al the well to do, are, in my opinion,
OF such nature that they would have the
same resuNs. upon the working people
among whom the disease is most prevail
ent, If these measures could be put with
oh will
and many sacrifices to accomplish this
but no more than the proper love for our
neighbor should prompt us to make, not
to mention the economical reasons which
wise craftsmanship would see
have wished to bring this subject up
before the members of the "Storthing,
because L know that here 1 would find
mon who would understand this want of
humanity and Rave means to fulfill such
an undertaking,
AS surely as a strong, healthy people
is a nations greatest pride, so surely must
It be one of the greatest deeds of the
state to help better the peoples health
The great storm that lately passed over
the West coast killed a few hundred
abie;bodied men, when Immediately the
public and the individual came to the res
cue of the untold suffering which follow
ed the loss Of so many men.
Every year tuberculosis kills 1000 able
bodied men, and still more women. If
this loss should come on one day it would
make a great stir, but does it become
any less important for the welfare of the
country If it is stretched over period
of 365 days, or because the same loss is
seen year after year, or, properly speak
ing; the loss is increasing year by year?
The most reliable statistics of the re-
suit of sanatorium treatment come from
the "Hansiatische Invaliden and Alters
Versicherung Anstalt," which has the
greatest number of invalids. They
show that one year after treat
ment there are 66.6. per cent of those
treated able to work; after two wears
6O7 per cent: after three years 45.6 per
cent, and after four years, 35.7 per cent.
The statistics of DR.. Turban, in Davos,
a leading sanitarium, cover large period
Of time. They show that one or two years
after treatment 597 per cent are able to
work; three to four years, 41.3 per cent,
and seven to eight years, IS per cent.
OF course the time of treatment here is
longer than at public sanitarium How
ever, a quarter of these We're so far ad-
vanced in the disease that they would
anitarium.