The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-04-20

that 1t is possible to walk on the sun
 ny side Of the street in zero weather without an overcoat. The cold IS nev- air conduces to a good appetite. The cool nights enable one to gain splendid
 rest In fact, nature has assembled in
 those regions every element favorable
 q comparatively small percentage of the consumptives are able to leave their homes in other parts of the coun-
 high price for board. aud there await | the processes of nature to cure them. Their circumstances force them 10 re- | main at home, but they need not die +
 ment. say right here In Alabama. A 1 longer period will be required to abate the disease, but patience and assidu-
 9Is o,,s, adherence s6 ,ies. to the open air life
 work. provided the beginning Is made in time.
 Our Duty fin AIabarna.
 Having considered the disease and the method if It's abatement at some | length l now reach the question of | our duty here in Alabama say "our duty" for ' regard 1t as the duty of
 tion of the problems which the sub- | sect presents, whether he be a physi- 1 clan or a layman. Our duty is doub-
 le one-involving both the prevention of the spread of the infection and the cure-but for convenience we will con-
 slider them Jointly. It Is easier to pre- vent any evil than to cure 1t The
 vent the spread of tuberculosfs we
 must have laws and org anIzations
 through laws and we must have en- l lightenment To secure both or eith-
 CT the medical profession must lead
 the way, but 1t must have at its back l the united support of an intelligent
 and sympathetic citizenship and a | Tn many states Iawa have heAn cu.
 acted creating anti-tubercuIosis cont
 missions. This ia the case in our
 neighboring state of Georgia. I have | Dr. Bernard Wolff of Atlan.a. see- retary of the Georgia State Commis- | sion on Tuberculosis, and he mas de- | scribed to me the workings of the conn
 mission in his state. The functions Gf
 the Georgia commission are to gather | data with reference to tuberculosis and to disseminate information in l tion of the public on precautionary
 methods to prevent the spread of the disease and to deal with 1t where 1t has occurred.
 ter mo said: I've are preparing to send out literature on tho subject of consumption very much In the vein
 alluded to in your letter, We are availing ourseleves of every method of disseminating this information to the public, especially through the channel represented by the newspapers. We tirrent in favor of the movement and
 we have the narrowing conviction that l once the movement Is under way 1t | will accumulate enough momentum to propel itself I am preparing a series of tracts to Do published in the news papers. They are practical, elemen- tary and such as any intelligent lay tion can be forced into a dense and childish public that consumption can
 be caught and that being caught It can often be cured, we may get rid of cy that have been the means of spread ing the disease since the primal roui se We are very much hampered by the
 lack of funds. The state with that easy indifference to it's best interests and that cool assumption that work for 1t will be done free, has made no appropriation at all to carry out the
 work. It is maintained by assessment whose efforts in the cause of cold
 drawn philanthropy spell professional suicide by the starvation route. With
 such a handicap the best we can do Is to start the movement-to touch the
 button with the hope that If that
 great baby. the public, will get good
 scare 1t will stop putting every thing
 Dr. Wolff's views are. in my judg-
 ment. highly valuable and furnish a
 basis for we Alabamians to operate
 upon. If we are to have an antt-tu-
 berculosis commission in this state
 and we should have such body by all
 means-I would suggest and urge that
 in addition t0 granting 1t power to
 collect data on the subject of tuber-
 culosis through the medium of county
 and city health officers and county
 medical societies and issuing from time
 to time educational leaflets on the
 manner of warding off and treating
 the disease that 1t also be empowered
 to suggest to municipal government
 the enactment and entorcement of
 certain necessary laws providing sant-
 tary and hygienic safeguards, such as
 anti-spitting ordinances, proper ven-
 tilation of public buildinEs, particular
 ly the public schools, and like means