The Monte Vista journal. (Monte Vista, Rio Grande County, Colo.) 1888-1921, 1905-04-15

The following abstracts from an ar.
ticle by ]. E. Stubbert. N. D., In the
Medical Record. should receive wide
and careful attention. No doubt II
these ideas could be carried out. the
white plague" would Re robbed OF
much of its terror:
In ancient times It was highly i'm.
proper TO expose q tuborculous pa
tient, especially one beyond the first
stage. to a breath OF fresh air except
on the mildest days In summer. while
the night air was dreaded and avoided
as the plague. Then the more observ.
ant and thoughtful men noticed that
those who lived more in the open air
did not die as quickly as the hot-house
patients, and they began to urge an
outdoor life and moderate exercise
as a prophylactic as we'll as cure
for those in the early stages Of con.
sumption. Those in the more advanc-
ed stages were allowed fresh air only
when 1t was at summer temperature.
but even this was better than being
kept indoors in warm. illventilated
rooms the whole year.
There are several plans by which
the victim OF tuberculosis may con-
tinuously breathe pure. fresh air by
night as well as by day. Sleeping out
in the open air Is not harmful to 4
large majority OF tuberculous. people.
Millet. Of Brockton. Mass. reports
the cases OF i've patients whom he
recommended to sleep out of doors ut
night. They were allowed NO roof
over their heads except In rainy
weather. They wore soft felt hats
and cotton nightshirts. sleeping under
ordinary bedclothes in beds arranged
on the roofs Of their houses. I'm.
provemeIt was noted In two weeks.
Coughs disappeared, temperatures be.
came normal. respirations we're easier
and weight increased rapidly. No at
tention was paid to dampness and
drafts. and heavy dews were regarded
as inconvenient simply because Of the
necessity of drying the bedclothes.
Sleeping In q small room with an
open window does not appear 10 be
nearly SO beneficial to the patient as
when the nights are passed on 4 yer.
anda or in tent where there is .
free circulation Of air on all sides II
= patient were fortunate enough to
have 4 large room with q southern ex.
posure and containing one or two
open hreplaces. In addition. to large
windows on three sides. which might
be opened At night. he might derive
approximately the beneht incident to
tent life.
AcCraham. Of South Carolina. pre-
fers the circular TO the army tent. and
thinks 1t better to place II on . plat.
form two feet from the ground. and
to do without carpets and draperies
Draperies are not necessary. but rugs
add greatly to the comfort and con.
vcnience Of those In III health. and
their use can be made perfectly safe
by exposing them to the sunlight for
. few hours daily.
Spseisl Hospitals for censumptivss.
A hundred years ago the city Of
Naples. Italy. erected = lace hospital
for consumptives. and required the
isolation OF all persons suffering from
this disease. II Is only recently. how.
ever. that the authorities OF modern
cities have become awakened to. the
Importance OF this sanitary measure.
Recently number Of cities have
taken steps for the establishment Of
hospitals especially for tho treatment
Of cases of consumption by the so
called 'opcn.sir method Excellent
results are reported from this method
Of treatment
Tho German government has q
large central committee numbering
more than thirteen hundred persons.
organized for the purpose Il crectiag
hospitals for tho treatment OF tuber.
cu!osis. This committee has under rs
supervision sevcnty.four such hospi.
tails. and last year treated over thirty
thousand patients. OF whom eighty per
cent were returned TO their homes
practically cured after remaining n
tho hospitals on an average Of little
less than three months.