The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-12-27

Instead Of being one Of the most incura-
BILE of all diseases consumption in its in
cipient stages. at least. can be readily
cured.
This has been the experience of all
physicians who have been internes of the
sanitariums In the United States. Ger
many and England.
Medicines and serums have been laid
aside, and the pure. life-giving air, assist
ed by nourishing food, have taken their
place, with the result that 90 per cent and
over of the patients treated at the open
air. institutions have fully recovered.
These "open-air" sanatoria for the treat
ment of tubercular patients are rapidly
increasing in the United States. where the
Legislatures Of many States have made
appropriations for the erection. Of suit
able buildings on the most favorable site
obtainable in the State.
In the Massachusetts, institution, which
is generally looked upon as a model among
the public sanitariurns, the conditions spe-
Gifted in the location were that it should
have an altitude of at least 1000 feet
above sea level; should be situated on a
southerly slope and protected by wood
lands on the north; that 1t should have
g dry soil. insuring easy drainage and
that there should be an abundant supply
OF pure water on the 200 acres to be Sc
cured
A further requirement was that the To-
cation should be within easy reach of a
railroad and should be located not farther
from center of population than the
other conditions required.
These requirements are all met by the
site most often discussed by Missouri
physicians for the location of State sani-
tarium in the Ozarks. A bill will be in
troduced at the coming session Of the
State Legislature which will urge the i'm
mediate erection Of suitable building
or buildings for the open-air- treatment of
consumption. which physicians say has
become absolutely necessary.
PHYSICIANS TO ASK FOR
NECESSARY LEGISLATION.
Doctor George Holman, who was the
chairman of the Committee of the State
Medical Society for the establishment
of a State sanitarium for persons snf-
fering from consumption, said that the
efforts of the physicians Of Missouri would
similar to that introduced at the last ses-
sion OF the Legislature. during the coming
year.
No proposed measure is of greater
necessity to the public welfare and health
than this one for n State sanitarfum for
the treatment of consumption" said Doc
tor Holman to The Republic.
Not only are the patients cured, but
they are made missionaries and apostles
OF the gospel of public health. They
who return from the sanitariums of
other States have preached increasingly to
others the precautions necessary in cases
of consumption or any communicable
disease. This is the greatest result of the
institutions, for while the life Of the in
dividual has been fixed at 5000 by the
Legislature, in the case of consumption,
the lives of every one about the afflicted
one are at stake.
when the proper sanitary measures
are taken, there is no need for the in
lection to extend to every member OF the
sufferers family, as it SO often does
These measures are not difficult to follow
out and any person of ordinary intelii-
gence will follow them if taught, in a
sanitarium, or by some one who has been
there.
In the Massachusetts, Sanitariurn. 1t
has been positively demonstrated that
consumption is durable Here are few
figures taken from an official report of
that institution:
Tho total number Of patients received
was $50. during the year 1901. the average
age being Is years. OF these only one
died and only per cent were not i'm
proved by the regimen OF pure air. good
food and freedom from care.
4 '-of the cases that were strictly In
tipient, IS per cent were cured. showed
Improvement or had the disease arrested.