Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-10-13

VINO are already Enthusiastically victims
to the great white plague The pa
per is as follows.
Dr.. LaSorce's Paper.
There is probably no one subject
in the whole dominion of medicine
that is CT so great Importance, and
which is attracting so much interest
Of the laity as well as of the medical
profession, as that of the combat
against tuberculosis. The interest is
greater now than ever in the history
Of the world. Moreover great prog
ress is being made in the combat, and
more successfully, than ever before.
There are two facts which arc
chief causes OF the increased interest
and of the successful combat: They
are, first, the discovery and proof of
the cause of the disease as being in
the bacillus tuberculosis by Koch in
1882, and, second, the proofs that the
disease is infectious, that it is prevent
able and can be cured.
''The profession has known these
facts only few years, and the laity
is just beginning to appreciate the
TACT that consumption is durable.
Cause of Every Seventh Death.
When we remember that the great
white plague is the cause of every
seventh death, that in the state of
Iowa nine persons die of tuberculosis
every day; three thousand every
year; that the United States contrib
utes every year one hundred and ten
thousand, and the world five millions.
say when these, facts are confront
ed it is no wonder that the people
are asking what can be done to pre-
vent this disease.
"a war which should leave 10000
dead on the battlefield every year
would rouse the nation to put a
speedy end to the destruction. The
mortality from tuberculosis exceeds
the cbmbined deaths from war, fam
in& plague, cholera, yellow fever and
smallpox.
with the knowledge of such devas-
tation and the recently known proven
fact that the disease is infectious and
therefore preventable, and that with
early and well known methods of
treatment SO per cent can be cured,
the disease arrested in still larger
per cent, the crusade against tuber-
culosis is becoming wondrously &C
tive. AS evidence of the fact we note
the formation in many states and
large cities and in foreign countries
OF organizations and societies with the
sole object Of fighting the disease.
Moreover there has been considerable
legislation against the disease by reg
ulations for ,disinfection Of infected
rooms; for reporting to health boards
of all consumptive cases; of laws
against promiscuous eXpectoration,
and for organizing hospitals and SAM
tariums for consumptive patients,
People are Becoming Educated.
The people are becoming educated
on the subject as never before, and
the education is productive OF much
good, as witness the various measures
just referred to- But the education
has just begun and needs to be car
ried out much more thoroughly and
on more extensive scale. Education
is necessarily the first thing in the
campaign against tuberculosis. When
the people and the law makers, the
financiers and philanthropists know
the great need existing and when
they are informed of definite plans
that are proven to be effective, there
will not be lacking measures and
money to carry out the plans.
There is probably no subject which
promises so much benefit and gain
in health and wealth as does the cru
SADIE against tuberculosis. The pro-
fession is already in possession of the
knowledge and measures to be carried
out in this crusade, which IL acted
upon will result in much benefit and
happiness to the people
81 refer to the treatment of con.
sumption in sanitariums and the es-
tablishment of such sanitariums by
the state. have been investigating
the subject a good deal of late and
think am correct when | state that
consumption is a much more durable
disease than nine-tenths of the medi
cal profession consider it to be.
Evidence of Healed Tuberculosis.
Several decades ago, but more es
! pecially of late years, pathologists
and those making post-mortem exam
| nations of bodies dead from various
| diseases have recognized in the lungs
of large number evidence of healed
tuberculosis, and that in big pei
| cent of these the tuberculosis hat
existed, produced LESSONS in the
lungs and elsewhere without the pa
tieDt or others suspicioning that he
had had tuberculosis. The per cent O
those thus affected and who had dice
from other diseases is variously Civ
en- by different observers in differen
| places, as from 80 to so per cent o
all deaths
1--WE thus learn that nature otter
cures tuberculosis, and that therefore
the disease when uncomplicated witt
| other mixed infection. is not the awful
1 and dangerous affection it is general.
| thought to be, that on the contrary i
is comparatively benign and under ia
vorable circumstances tends to spon
taneous healing.
I'VE may also learn natures method
of cure, and the more we investigate
and observe the more we are learn
ing that what is required is perfec
hygienic method of living in pure al
with as much sunshine as possible
abundant healthy diet and rest will
1 very carefully regulated exercise. Ma
4 ture is apparently able to cure in
| large number of cases where thes