The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-16
70 FIGHT THE WHITE PLAGUE.
DIR. RANKIN Calls FOR ACTION
BY THE STATE. .

Receive the same care - the insane
"A System OF state Infirmaries ADJ
~oca.ed--Tbe Results in This City.
DIR. l.. Guernsey Rankin OF this city
mad paper recently at tho semi annual
meeting Of the State Homeopathic Medical
Society on THE Tuberoilosis Situation
work accomplished by the tuberculsr
infrmary Of Manhattan Hospital. on Black
wells Island, and advocated the establish
ment by the State Of q system OF such In
frmar ies for the treatment and the pro-
vention Of tho spread Of tuberc.iloeis--a
group OF institutions somewhat on the
order Of the existing State hospitals for
the insane. ....
DR.. Rankin said 10 a Sun reporter that
rjllle he did not wish TO put forward any
great claim to originality In advocating
his scheme. which he had not as yet worked
out in any elaboration Of detail. he WIS
anxious and eager TO help to the utmost
of his powers in the work Of preventing
this disease. which is the chief cause OF
death Throughout the world.
Such a system OF State infrmaries had
noe been advocated by any one else, 60
far as he knew. Yet the prevalence Of
tuberculosis, greater in New York State
than insanity. demanded energetic meas
,Jree on the part Of the State and municipal
governments to curtail its ravages. DR..
Rankin said:
an the handling Of tuberculosis only
the mcrest beginnings have been made.
The factors for caring for those suffering
from the disease and for preventing its
spread are very limited.
,'it.The Infectious nature OF the disease
was long ago discovered. Aristotle knew
something of this The Arabian physicians
: regarded the air breathed by the consump-
tive AS poisonous. All through the Middle
Ages the great doctors Of Italy knew the
infectious nature Of tuberculosis But
later this was lost sight of until the time Of
Koch, when it was revived.
You or may contract tuberculosis any
dav. And we may have it for months
. tsefore we know it. We cannot tell where
or bow OF when we get it, a.. -
THE great need Is for more effort to
prevent the spread Of the disease. The
New York Beard Of Health is doing all it
can under exs ing laws. All the care and
attention provided is either accepted or
rejected a. the will of the patent.
{ In ills city there is now accommoda-
aion for about / 100 pa. tents, and recently
pros ision has been made for 100 more in
the oifondacks. II is estimated that there
are from 25OOO To 10000 persons suffering
from tuberculosis in this city. The known
number as shown by the Board of Health
eta istios, in 1903 was e,0s3 forthe boroughs
of Manhattan and The Bronx alone
More than 200 tuberc,ilar patients are
admi ted every month to the hospital on
Blaekwells Island. These come and 60 at /
will
A pa. ient feels better. and goes out.
Yet his sputurn cont aims baoilh. he goes |
10 work, but cannot 8, and the strain. and |
soon relapses. Spread of the infect ion is
almost iuevit able This is a simple demon
stIa ion.
1.-TWO factors essential to cope with the
situation are lacking. More inhrmaries and
closer supervision of those suffering from
the disease are needed
q -Since the BIackwell's Island inirmary
for the treatment Of tuberculosis was
opened by the city on Jan. 81, 1902, 1t has |
rareei for a'tota al of 5,6i4 patients, Of. whom |
75s were readmissions. The result Of this |
work las been an appreciable decrease in |
the, city OF the number Of recorded cases.
In Manhattan and The Bronx in 1891 |
there were recorded with the Board Of
Health 6,049 cases Of tuberculosis. In 1902 I
the number was 5,744. And this in eIi.e
Of an increase of many thousands In the
popua ion The number for 1908 was
60s6-only tIi1e over that for 1901. not
vi: hist ap6ing an increase in population Of
nearly 100, 900 for the two years,
"No expensive eanitoria are needed for
the treatment Of these sufferers The
rich and the fairly we'll to do are already
provided for But hospitals are needed
for the poor, who are also the most ignorant
and>the most likely to spread the disease.
THE State and city authorities should
take the matter in hand. Under the present
form of legislation tuberculosis is only
one item along with other diseases.
~The tuberculosis patient should be
placed in separate and distinct institutions
for his own care and the protection Of the
public. The health boards as at present
constituted have too much to do TO handle
Of the boards of health 70. S.he supervision
Of tuberculosis alone-or better. we should |
have State commission on tuberculosis,
like that on insanity.
Il would not advocate the confinement
OF tuberculosis patients, as the insane
are confined, but they should be placed
under careful supervision. Many Of them
might work on farms connected with the
sanitoria, or be provided with some light
outdoor employment. Such details could
be worked out by the commission.
The need for such a State commission
of tuberculosis and for the establishment
Of special tuberculosis sanitoria Is impera-