The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1905-02-20
PLANS CAMPAIGN
AGAINST PLAGUE
Charity Organization Begins
Fight on Consumption.
STERNBERG GIVES VIEWS
Ex-Surgeon General Delivers Address at
Meeting on the Subiect-vari-
Gus Schemes discussed.

ct is high time that something is
done to relieve this city of the stigma
OF not being able to take care Of its
consumptives. There is no city of its
size that has not made at least be-
ginning in this direction
This was statement made by Gen.
George NJ. Sternberg yesterday after
noon at a meeting of the committee on
the prevention of consumption,
bra2c.a eff the Associated Charities OF
this civ
It locks now as if something would
be Gone to bring about some relief. 1t
is a significant fact that Of the. four
special committees appointed by the
Asso cat ed Charities, three CT them deal
only with general health conditions in
the city, and enc of them, the commit
tee on prevention Of consumption, deals
with but one specific disease It shows.
however, that the people who study the
conditions know and, at least, real
lie the danger and the necessity of
taking action against this public mem
ace.
Still Blind.
Congress and the people in general
are still blind to the gravity of the
situation. but a movement has begun
against this disease and will grow.
The committee on the prevention Of
consumption has established a free dis
pensary for consumption. 1t has been
in existence three months, and has al
ready moved to central and better
quarters at a26 F street northwest And
the committee is to go further than
this
It will struggle to get bill through
Congress for a municipal hospital for
cOnsumptiEeS, and in the meantime Will
a
provide for q hospital or camp OF its
own.
All these matters came up yesterday
in the meeting of the committee at their
new dispensary on + street Most of the
members were present and many plans
were proposed and discussed for the
furtherance of this work.
Camp Discussed.
One of the plans discussed was the
establishment of camp for consump-
tiyes. One hundred acres of land in a
heaIthful locality, with one fair building
on it, has been offered the committee for
three years for the mere payment OF
taxes. Owing TO the condition, OF the
treasury, however, which was shown TO
have balance OF but S445-eS, this plan
WAS rejected.
1t was pointed out by General Stern
berg That the cost OF repairing buildings,
buying tickets, maintaining nurses. a
cook servants, etc, would be too much
for their slim finances
1t was his opinion, with which they all
seemed to agree, that they could do little
more than they We're doing to assist the
patients that could not help support
them n this work.
Company Suggested.
A plan that seem to meet with more
favor, was the 70, ming of a stock com
pany of from $4,000 to $4,000 to buy land
of some sort nearer the city with build
ings in good repair. where they could
take in patients that could afford to pay
for treatment.
1t was pointed out that with this
amount of money they would be able to
meet expenses of every sort in the man
ner OF running and maintaining what
would prove to be q first class hospital
that would easily pay for itself. This
matter was referred back to the sub
committee on care and treatment, with
Instructions 10 look after the raising OF
the money \ report Of this committee
is 10 be made next meeting.
Sternberg Talks.
The National Association for the Study
and Prevention OF tuberculosis is TO
meet in this city on May Is and IS. and
the committee decided 10 recognize this
association as their national organiZa-
ton, and attend IL in body. The COM
mittee viii endeaYor TO get the aid of
this national association by making a
written statement IF tie conditions
here.
Everything possible should be done. .
said General Sternfers to Tne Times
reporter, after the erecting There is q
Bill IN Congress nov calling for an ap-
propria ton OF $50, 600 for teDers hos
pitai and there ara not more than 301
cases Of ieprosy in he country. Eight
hundred die in this city alone every year
OF consumption. and 1t Is as evil a Dis
ease as ie3rosy. If we mad but two
cases Of The bubonic plague in the
country We would re greatly aroused.
and yet here are these 500 deaths about
us every year and we are not appaF-
entity, concerned in the least,
Mans Best Friend in Adversely
Is his bank account Open an account
with banking dept. cf Union Trust Co,
s.E LIZ IN al. nc