The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-05-16
THE War ON CONSUMPTION
Radical Methods Advised at the
tuberculosis Congress.

Delegates in Favor of Free SHnitnr-
iums-The Disease Said to Cause
More Deaths Than All Other 8InIa-
dies Views OF the Physicians
NEW YORK. May 16-RadicaI measures
for the prevention Of consumption We're
advocated yesterday at the opening scs-
sion CT the second annual American Con
gress Of tuberculosis held in the Hotel
Majestic. There were delegates present
from nearly every State and Territory in
the United States and Canada. Central
America, and some South American coun-
tries The convention is under the au-
spices of the tuberculosis Congress and
the AIedIco-LegaI Society OF this city
One physician. the delegate from West
Virginia, went so far as to declare that
doctors should not try TO proIong the life
of hopeless consumptives, but should give
a course of treatment that would make
the patient comfortable, even if it short
ened his life
The congress VIII work chiefly to attain
two purposes.
FIrst-The best method for checking the
spread of consumption
SeCOnd-LegIslatiOn that viii put the
method decided upon into actual opera
ton.
Free State sanitariUms for ConsumptiveS
Is one Of the measures most generally fav-
Ored by the delegates
Clark Bell, Of the Nfedico-LegaI Society.
in his address Of welcome said to the del
esates- The subject which We have met
to discuss is one Of the most profound i'm
pOrtance in modern forensic medicine
The simple statement of the known fact
that this fearful disease causes the death
OF more persons than all other diseases
combined is enough TO demonstrate the
Importance of this subject"
President A N Bell OF the TuberclI-
losis Congress in his annual address said.
individuals communities and States
VIII make liberal appropriations for hor-
ses and cattle and to help along dog
shows, but refuse aid for air and sun
light or for drainage of a marsh which
SENDS forth carnations positively dan
gereus TO the public health
Dr. Pryor, OF Buffalo. gave some fig
ures OF the ravages OF the disease in this
State, which astounded the convention
saying:
Fourteen thousand people die from
consumption in this State yearly. The
death rate is 20 per cent. and ~ per cent
OF them could be saved If the patients
were taken in charge by competent ply
sicians when the disease was in an fncinf-
ent stage.
The ConsUmptive is generally not car
ed for at all People with other diseases
may 90 to almost any hospital. but the
conSumptIFS goes only in the last year.
10 Gle. The rich may go to a sanftarisn.
but the poor must die. 1t IS a bout the only
disease which causes z man 70 die siTnrlIJy
because he is poor"
Extreme measures for the prevention of
ILe GlSeaSe were proposed in a paper by
Dr g L Ulrich, OF Wheeling. w Va He
said:
In regard to confirmed consumDtjves
who have passed the years of childhood
and Tor whom there is no hope Of reco--
cry, / am going to say something that
may De StgmRtiZed as unfeelinE and cru
e. But on the principle Of the greatest
good 10 the greatest number, I regard
the idea rs humane
What L wish to suggest is this In
every case OF confirmed and hopeless tn
beFculoSls- deSlst from all efforts to pro
long life. deVCtiug your entire energy 10
making your patient as comfortable as
possible. even II the means employed
should have tendency to shorten life
For II you lengthen out the suan Of a
InlSeTd9ie existence. permitting the IN
happy being TO marry and send out into
the world an infected progeny TO in
crease the aggregate of suffering IN geo
metrtcal progression until the earth is
I-lled with pale, ensciated, unhappy. use
less men and women. DO You feel that
Won heYe accomplished a humanitarian
work.
a,r- J. Mount BIeyer. in a paper de-
clarcd that milk from infected COWS was
responsible for much Of the disease He
created soma amusement by advoca ting
legislation prohibiting the sale OF milk al
together He particularly opposed the
feeding of milk 10 infants individuals or
COnSumptives.
Dr.. 5. Il Weeks also spoke on the dan
ger IN infected animals and declared tina [
statutory measures should - taken to
prevent the disease in all animals which
contribute to the food supply
wyoming sent no delegate TO the Con-
Eress, the Governor OF the State writing
that consumption was practically IN
known there