The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-12-07
Doctor Knopf. tuberculosis Au.
thority, Declares Business Of
fees as Bad as Slums.
MORE SANITATION is NEEDED.
Makes an Earnest Plea for Better
Work in an Effort to
Suppress Spread
of Infection.
REPCRLLC

REPUBLIC SPECIAL
New York. Dec. 6-Wall street offices anC
the homes of the wealthy nave been Spoken
Of as breeding places Of consumption AM
dry catarrh.
Doctor s, A. Knopf; one Of the leading
authorities on tuberculosis in this country
made the Statement His essay on "Tuber
cutosis as a Disease of the Masses was
awarded first prize at the international con
gress in Berlin, and It has been TRANSLATED
into many languages.
The physician spoke in the auditorium oi
the West Side Branch of the Young Men:
Christian Association. in West .Ftfty-sev'
association and the Committee on TuItercu,
ioS,s of the Charity Organization Society.
Those who went to near the physician
speak Of the conditions in the slums Were
surprised to hear that he considered certain
conditions In the offices and homes of the
wealthy quite as bad as those which OBJ
sANTTATfoN IS NEEDED.
"unsanitary conditions" he said. pre-
ff ac,o m an n RafWSs Vail II t s9fee ety. ot In sh oPd f fn the
homes Of men Of wealth. The musician who
r rs 1n !. ss l to sit y. in ca an ais9ve in a restan,
Is the worker in the factory. The conditions
are about the same.
Clerks in banking houses. IN narrow.
confined. ill-ventila,ed quarters. working en-
tirely under artificial light. are subject TO
tuberculosis. In the offices of some Of the
attention Is paid to sanitation. I have visit
ed Wall street offices-welI furnished ones.
WORKING vS1hT in e q Taom sc 9rseti of fIer xitb would be
tilati?n. In the office of the employer the
conditions would he no better. He was sep
arated from his clerks only by a partition OF
glass. which extended half way up 10 the
ceiling. Both EMPLOYER and employees were
n rS9 t S%sy bu to open windows: If they We're
have seen from seventy to eighty men in
an once where they Were breathing and re-
night:
the employer thought he was doing the very
hest he could for his subordinates.
sap nh,s apPiies net only to Offices often ele..
pretentious Of American homes e .ns !ngs,
house heated by 4 furnace. unless the ereat.
a large portion Of the time. Su-h house,
are far too dry. and. as a consequence.
those who dwell in them are subject to
'ihe cause Of many cases of tuberculosis
Is due to the Indifference of persons 10 the
he neft of fresh air or TO their dislike of it.
the spread of consumption was the ie-
nGrance OF the people, a lack of knowIadse
tirely to the tenemant population. He adj
sISen AGAINST the use Of alcohol. saying that
PR were dangerous no,sons as a general
handled by skilled physicians.
Tns OF the great 'auses Of the spread Of
proper nutrition. MANY of the women in the
poorer classes were unpreuared for the d;-
ties OF Wife because they did not know low
their children. INV
Doctor Knopf asserted that the tact that
the food was poor ard Insufficient was not
always due to lack OF money. but to the ir-
norance OF the cooks. who. in the homes Of
~ poor caused more waste than in the
KITCHENS of the wealthy. He advocated a
campaign in the interests Of good cookery. |
open air work and due care. which would
make a clean. conscientious a |
Mt companion for anybody"