Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-27
SPREAD OF DISEASE
MEANS SOUGHT FOR THE PRE-
vENTIoN OF TUBERCULOSIS.
Meeting of the Instructive Nurses So
ciety at Rooms of Asso-
ciated Charities.

Tuberculosis, the most DREADED u1SedSe
known to this continent, was the subject OF
discussion among the agents of the Asso-
ciated Charities the members of the In
structive Visiting Nurses Society and many
of the members of the several committees
on the prevention of consumption at the
rooms of the Associated Charities yesterday
afternoon. Typical cases of families which
have been reduced to distress through the
dread disease were discussed by the nurses
and doctors and means sought by which
it's spread could be checked. Figures gath
cred by the Associated Charities show that
Washington has a larger death rate from
tuberculosis than any other city in this
country with the exceptions of Los An
geles and Denver, and in these two last
named the disease which carries off a large
proportion of the Inhabitants Is pulmonary
tuberculosis, and the victims are from the
east who have gone to the west to seek
cure in the drier air of that climate.
DIR. Ida ]. Heiberger. superintendent of
the Womans Clinic. suggested that printed
instructions be posted in the homes OF the
poor that they might profit by the knoWl-
edge of the physicians of the District and
assist the latter in disinfecting their homes
where consumption has gained foothold,
and preventing its entrance in those where
it had not. Carelessness was agreed upon
by all who spoke as the most distressing
evil in these cases, and this, together with
e lack of facilities in the homes of the
poor to follow the instructions outlined for
them, made it difficult problem for the
visiting physicians and nurses to solve.
Gen. Sternberg's Suggestion.
Gen. Sternberg addressed the meeting,
suggesting the establishment of a dispen-
sary, the chief purpose of which should be
the early diagnosis of patients who We're
supposed to have contracted tuberculosis,
his theory being that early decision
frequently was the means of saving the
life of the patient. He cited the case of
his brother, who died of the disease, which
he had contracted from a COW, because he
had not known until too late what was his
trouble Ambulatory cases of consumption
were. according to the experienced speakers,
the most difficult to care for, from the fact
that the persons affected persist in spread
ing the disease by carelessness In expectOra-
ton.
Miss H. L. Washington. superintendent of
the Instructive Visiting Nurses Society,
said that this was one of the worst features
of the diseaS Sc, and suggested that all pa
TENTS be warned in the strongest terms of
the danger to others from public expsctora-
ton on the streets. Following families who
had lost member by consumption was
another question hard to solve, she said,
for they seemed to care little whether or
not others contracted the disease. White
washing the houses where there had been
death from consumption was another
thing that would tend to check the spread,
she said, but this also was difficult of
achievement for the reason that the agents
were hard to find and harder to get to do
the work when found.
Others Relate Experiences.
George s. Wilson OF the Board of Public
Charities, D. A Glasscoff. agent of the AS
ISOLATED Charities, and many ladies con-
nected with the Visiting Nurses Society
also addressed the meeting and gave their
experiences for the benefit of those who had
not had the personal opportunity to study
the disease that they had been given. CO.
operation among all the people who might
assist in meeting the needs of the occasion
was advocated, and method to determine
what was the best manner in which to pro-
mote the proper treatment of tuberculosis
was the purpose of the meeting, and others
will be held, at times to be stated later, at
which the subject will be still further dis
cuSSed.