The Washington times., 1901-07-28
THE WAR ON CONSUMPTION
Medical Experts Insist That tie
Disease Can Be Cured.
Methods Recommended for the Pre-
Vention of MISUNDERSTANDING the
Notification System in England
The Great Need of SnnitOria.

The Grent Need of snnitorin.
LONDON, July 27.-The average man
can hardly follow with interest and profit
such technical discussions as were COM
prised in the proceedings of the Tuber-
culosis Congress just rnisned. 1t is of
the utmost public concern, however, 10
point out the main conclusion of the
combined export knowledge OF the world
regarding the subiugation of this greatest
enemy to humanity.
Too much attention has been directed
to Prof. Koch's controversial assertion
| that the disease cannot be communicated
! from animals to man. Eminent special
/ lists have already declared themselves in
disagreement with his conclusion, which,
| in any event, do not affect the main prob
lem of how to cure and prevent phthisis.
The important progress recorded in this
| direction has been overlooked amid the
I interest excited BY Prof. Kochs announce
ment
First of all the congress swept away the
| still lingering popular belief that con-
sumption is incuraDle disease. The
| leaders of the medical profession of all
countries unite in certifying to many
| thoroughly authenticated cases OF a rad
ical cure of well developed tuberculosis
| joy to mankind.
Next. turning attention to the chief
source of the scourge. the congress has
demonstrated as never before the infec-
| tious nature of the disease. The prin-
cipal danger is the sufferer himself. This
fact was emphasized so conspicuously
throughout the proceedings of the con-
gress that the public cannot fail to grasp
it. How subtle this danger is may be
shown by the Investigations in Manches-
ter of dust in houses in which consump-
tive persons live. The experiments proved
that the dust which foated in the air
contained infectiye material derived from
a patient
How shall the spread of the infection
be prevented? The congress has given
many answers. One of a general charac-
ter suggested by the same investigation
is the great Importance of ventilation.
Consumption is essentially a disease of
foul air. overcrowding, and lack of ven-
tilation, which probably acts in two ways.
They concentrate the~poison when pres
ent and so increase the risk of infection
and predspose the tissues to disease in
addition ...--
Dr. Shirley Murphy, medical officer of
the London County Council. contributed
a statistical study on the influence of
overcrowding. He took seven districts,
classified according to the proportion of
their population. where the people were
living more than two in room. and
found that the death rate from phthisis
year by year corresponds exactly with
the degree of overcrowding. Moreover.
this is not the case with other diseases.
From these and similar studies il ap
pears that consumption may be dimin- |
ished by general measures without deal |
ing with the victims themselves and that |
tn removal OF the source of mischief is |
the most direct and efficacious means |
The first practical steps toward this is |
the system OF notification introduced In |
America and since adopted by few |
towns of England. This discovery of n |
case is preliminary to the effective use |
in hospitals and dispensaries of sanitary !
measures and even of popular instruction. |
When cases have been Just disclosed |
they are visited and steps are taken ac> |
cording to the circumstances. Persons |
are instructed how to minimize the infec. |
tion and the premises are disinfected |
when necessary. Bad cases are removed |
to a hospital or sanitarium. In English |
towns only voluntary notification has |
been adopted. 1t has not been resented. |
and probably is sufficient to effect great |
improvement er-r 1r-' 7i--"
Notification is one of the measures rec
commended by the congress. Then follows |
the treatment at the sanitoria, This oc
cupied great deal of attention and some |
instructive details were given of the sys-
tenn in Germany by which such institu-
tions are provided and maintained for |
workingmen by sick insurance societies.
The value of these Institutions was en- /
dorsed by q resolution. Sir John Burdon |
Sanderson, who moved it, explained that |
the sanitoria required We're those needed |
for the poorer classes. 1t was not neces-
sary that the patient should be complete
ly cured, but only so far restored that |
they couid be able to keep at work
Finally. and this was the most impor-
tant feature of the congress. every speak
er denounced in uncompromsing Ian
guage the dangerous and disgusting habit
of splitting in public places. There is good
reason to believe that it is owing to the
cleanliness of the English a nation in
this respect that the mortality from
phthisis is lower in this country than in
any other