The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-03-01

Special Correspondence OF The Sunday Republic.
New York. Feb. S-S:nce the last meet
ing of the New York Medical Society the
agitation for immediate care OF the con-
sump;ives in New York City has been as
sharp as 1t should have been years ago
1t is only when conditions become so ap-
pall!ng that public opinion can no mere re-
main quiet than our public oflclals are
aroused to the proper action.
Now We hear Of movements all around US
to build hospitals and sanatoria for the
Doctor Bleyer, vice president of the Ameri-
can Congress for tuberculosis. that there
are much more practical and immediate
ways of attacking this problem.
What New York wants is to stop this
plague of consumption Immediately. and il
II can be done money is no object.
II is held that II is cheaper as well as bet
ter TO take existing agencies and utilize
them rather than wait years until We can
build hospitals into which to put dying con-
sumptives.
The mistake which is generally made is
this. We admit to hospitals patient after
he has passed through the primary and sec
ondary stages. when there is no chance on
earth for that patient to recover; Our hos
pital is nothing but living tomb
With the common sense Of the American
This expensive, ridiculous and unnecessary
method of handling the problem from the
wrong end.
What want is to get the patient when
he first shows the symptoms of this dread
disease. or when he she is just passing
into the secondary stage and is still durable.
What We also want is to prevent the spread
of this horrible plague by teaching the peo-
pie how 10 prevent infection and contaglon.
UTILIZE RECREATION PIERS.
Doctor B.eyer suggests the use of the
recreation piers. and certainly, while o-ig-
nalfy erected for the benefit OF the people,
they can tie devoted to no better purpose
than the saving OF the lives Of the 5000
or more Of these poor sufferers who know
not which way 10 turn for relief. Some NAV
n tyctnD q or,
the ground that We are bringing the con-
sumptives among the healthy people. but IS
II not fact that these consumpdves are
mixed up with the healthy people In the
tenemepts and are doing Infinitely more
harm Under improper conditions without
the teaching and the training Of nurses and
physicians. thar would be possible under
surveillance at these improvised sanatoria?
1t would cost comparative trifie to fit
up these piers for the accommodation of the
consumpuves ana II would not cost much
compared with the expense of the erection
of hospitals TO have not one but dozen
consumptive parks scattered along our sea-
coast
The problem of dealing with consumption
has grown TO such tremendous proporfions
mat the people can no longer ignore ii. and
instead OF marveling at the terrible losses
which We suffer year after year and the
many useful lives destroyed by It's ravagas.
the people and their leaders
1t is well known that our best physicians
are overworked with the attention which
tney nave 10 give 10 the poor people in their
clinics and dispeEsaries. and they have not
yet had the proper support and encourage.
merit Of the public.
1t mas been with the greatest of difficulty
that the tenement house laws have 80
improved, and even now legislators are try-
ing to tamper with them at Albany so that
dollars more out Of the lives of the moor
commissioner Lederer states that we are
finding a hundred new cases of cons umption
every week in New York city alone '
These figures are appalling. ana Vet how
simple 1t would be to take these new cases,
winch are the very best possible from the
to our improved sanator;a. pu, them on the
road to health. SO that within two or three ,
Could there be a greater or noble nh
!anthropy than the work of reaching one
hundred helpless souls every week and Civ
Ing them health instead Of death7