The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-06-07
DEADLIEST OF ALL POISON,
THE CAUSATIO PREVENTION
AND CURE OF CONSUMPTION.


DR.. Robert Wilson's Lectue to the
Civic Club of CharlestOn-The Ter
ribIe Ravages of the Disease can be
Stayed by Proper Sanitation.
About two weeks ago DR.. Rober
Wilson, Jr., delivered lecture before
the Civic Club, of Charleston, i'm the
ball room at the st. John Hotel, or
the subject o: Tuberculosis, its cansatior
prevention and cure, which was sc
full of wise counsel that it ought to be
read by every man, woman and child
in the community. In discussing the
problem of the prevention of consump.
ton it is first essential to your atten.
ton some of the fundamental facts OF
its causation, for intelligent effort
must necessarily be based upon clear
comprehension of the factors which
determine the origin and the spread
of the disease. Twentythree years ago
DR.. Koch discovered in the sputum OF
consumptives bacillus which he re-
garded as the specific causative agent;
and since then his claim has received
abundant confirmation. This organ
ism is the one factor without which
consumption never occurs-it is the
one invariable cause, Do not under
stand me to mear that its presence is
the only condition necessary. On the
contrary, the germ may, and as a fact
often does, find Judgement in the
tissues of the human body without
producing any evidence Of disease.
The soil must be favorable for its
growth. Such a favorable state of soil
is produced by hereditary weakness,
too free indulgence in alcoholic food,
as well as variety of other influences.
But no matter what depressing in1u-
ences may be operative, unless the
germ be present consumption will
never occur. The study ofthe preven-
ton of consumption requires us, there
fore. to take account both of the con-
ditions which affect the soil and OF
those which concern the germ itself
III were possible TO prevent the germs
from leaving the consumptive patient
or to destroy them before they could
enter another individual the whole
prolem would be solved and consump-
ton would soon be disease of history.
This being true, our first duty evident.
ly is to study the germ, its location
in the body of the patient, the mode
of its egress and the media by means
Of which it gains entrance into others.
II is not nv purpose this evening to
talk about the germs itself, but in
passing I want to mention one practl-
cal fact. Direct sunlight will kill this
organism in fifteen minutes, while in
q darkened room it has been found
alive after two years. And now many
people there are who habitually shut
out from their houses this powerful
DESTROYER of evil which nature gives
go freely and so abundantly to all!
The germs of consumption may
lodge anywhere in body and produce
dlsease-in the brain, in the liver, in
the kidneys or in the lungs, which L.
by far their most frequent site. AS
long as they remain in the tissues of
the BODY they do no harm save to the
unfortunate Individual who may har-
Dor them, but as soon as they find a
way of getting out consumption oe-
comes a dangerous communicable
disease. For this reason lung con-
sumption, in which the mucus, laden
with bacilli, is so abundantly dis
charged is the form that is fraught
with the greatest danger to the COM
munity. The mucus is the danger.
This should be impressed upon you,
for in these days of widespread germ
fear people have acquired the belief
that mere association is all that is
necessary for the conveyance of the
disease, that it is positive danger to
be near consumptive, but fhe truth
is consumption Is not contagious IN
this sense. The mucus discharged IN
expectorating, or as q fine cloud when
the patient coughs or sneezes, falls
upon the floor or ground, dries and be-
comes a part of dust, in which stat" it
NAV be inhaled by others. Or the
fine cloud discharged in the act. of
coughing or sneeZing may be inhaled
directly without first drying and be-
ing converted into dust. A coasump-
tive who does not expectorate nor
cough or sneeze is of no danger to
those with whom he comes into con-
tact. And, further, if every consump-
tive would eXpectorate into a vessel
containing water to prevent drying or
into one of the many varieties OF spit
cups that have been devised, which
will keep the dangerous material safe
until it can be destroyed, he would
likewise run little risk of injecting
others of his household. Dust how
ever, is not the only medium of lnfec-
tion. although we believe that it is the
most frequent. 1t has been demon
strated that the milk of tuberculous
COWS may be an important medium
of infection, especially in the case of
infants and children.
From this brief statement you will
perceive the nature of the problem
which confronts us. We must attack
the sources of infection, which are the
patients themselves; and secondly, the
media of infection, of which the most
important is dust. This appears at
first glance a simple matter, but it will
require unremitting effort under pro-
per organization.
The main force to be employed is
education. No one who consumption
willingly infects others; it is through
ignorance that he does so. If he
knew how to avoid scattering infec.
tion he would do it. The patient
must therefore be taught that his ex-
nectoration alone renders him danger
ons. He must learn that he should
never expectorate upon the floor, nor
cough or speeze without taking the
nrecaution of holding cloth in front
of the mouth and nose. He should
learn the use of spit cups, and how to
DESTROY their coutents. The danger