New-York tribune., 1903-02-06
MORE LIGHT IND AIR.
Doctors Plead for Tenement House
COnsumDtiUes.

Many prominent physicians of the city gath
cred last nights meeting of the New 1ork
Academy of Medicine, at No. II West Forty
third-st the topic of the evening being the
spread of tuberculosis.
DR. Alfred Meyer said that in the tenement
house districts the best thing to do was to put
the patient out on the fire escape He did not
believe the Fire Department could stop it.
II put my patients out there he said, "and
I am going to continue to do so. ] went to the
officials of the Fire Department and they OBJ
iected I told them l didn't care. Then they
referred me to the Buildings Department. There
was told that 1t UP to the Police Depart
ment. / haven't been to see any of the heads OF
that department as yet, but I'm still putting my
tenement house consamptives out on the fre
escape. where they get air and sunlight
and I'm going to continue doing So don
think anybody will stop it.
DR. S A. Knopf talked Of the treatment and
cure of consumptives in their homes, and Of the
urgent need of sanatoria. Many people, ne Saiu'
had an unconquerable aversion to go to an in
stitutIon; many had not the strength and many
could net afford it. These conditions, he said,
brought about the urgent neeS for better ar
rangenents for battling against the disease In
the private home. He spoke Of the Dement'S OF
fresh air and we'll lighted rooms, and or the
good that could he done through massage.
He declared tina. there were ten thousand con-
sumptive poor persons in the city to-day; that
many of them would not go to a hospital or san
atorum IL there were more built here. as they
had an aversion to them. Speaking OF the tell
ement house question he said;
''If another American philanthroplSt "ould
come along like Rockefeller. and instead of Civ
ing 81 900 900 for education would spend that
sum in buying and razing the old fashioned
death traps of tenements all over the city, and
erect in their stead model tenement houses
where fresh air and sunlight could get H. ne
would do the world a greater good
DR.. Edward c. Janeway said the city needed
more institutions for the care of conSumptiNes,
and declared it his belief that it was the DUTY
of the municipality to erect them Such 1ilsti-
tutions were needed he said. for the care of pa
tients in the earlier stages of the disease, ana 10
educate them in methods OF hshtlhS II anu pie
venting its spread
People. taxpayers and others. Will pay thei
roonev for houses for the care of the insane,
no said This is because they believe they
would be dangerous If allowed at large. All the
insane in the State would not be so dangerous
If at large as the thousands and thousands OF
tuberculosis patients. They are lar InolG Io aan,
gerous to the public welfare tnah the llS'he
who are so carefully looked after.
Dr Beverly Robinson congratulated Dr hnopf
on his views and said he had been convinced
br Dr Austin Flint that one case in fifteen
cnred itself Many could be cured by modern
sanitary methods, he said If the chances were
given at home, where freedom or Suhlight anu
fresh air was so often baked .
our wealthy women go down TO the "aluoit
and attend some charitabl enterprise, ana pay
their money TO raise a fund for a consumptlNes
home or for the care of tuberculosis patients
rbar they at once go out and trail their skirts
along The street sidewalks and carry nltllons OF
germs home with them. We are all lhcoh-
sstent.' ...-.t. .
Dr. Herman NJ. Biggs took more optlnisuc
view of the question than had the former
sneakers and said that he did not believe tu-
berculosis was on the increase In spite OF the
ponuIar belief He thought there was d rapid
decrease to be noted In the last ten years or So
He said there were about nine thousand new
cases each year in this city,
A resolution was offered denounclng the at
tempt on the part of certain legislators 10
modify the present tenement house law The
law Is about right, the physicians think, ana
anv modification will result In less air and
sunlight,
Another resolution offered favored the action
Of the State officials toward the establishment
of A hospital for the treatment of incipient
cases of tuberculosis, and deplored the ineffi-
Cheney of the 500 900 appropriation, which pre-
vents the opening of the institution at Bay
Brook.
DIR Charles +. Fitzpatrick. of the Bacterio-
logical Division of the Health Department,
spoke OH The Practical Recognition of the
Tubercle Bacillus in Sputum." and DR.. Her
bert NJ King, OF the Loomis Sanatorium at
liberty n Y. The Sanatorium Trea tment
of tuberculosis