The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1906-08-30

NC d case Dy cOntaglOn IN some Drancn OF
1T and exposure to greater or less de-
gree OF all members of the family is liable
mother or brother or sister, it is an
uncle or aunt, or cousin or some relative
still farther removed, and successful in
oculation in some member is bound to
occur" I'm the centuries gone by this
was explained on the theory Of heredity
rather than contagion; and when one
takes cursory view of the phenomena
by which tuberculosis manifests itself
amongst people, one can readily under
stand why the heredity theory held sway
of the public mind for many centuries "
By its nature, tuberculosis is markedly
family disease. One by one the differ
ent members of the family succumb TO
it, frequently at the same period of life
The most natural conclusion to be drawn
from such series of events was that
disease acting in this way must be he
reditary rather than contagious. To
show that heredity plays little part, let
us take, for example, the North Ameri-
can Indians, who prior to contact with
Europeans were entire strangers to the
disease, and who became infected by tine
wholesale and died by the thousands.
Heredity certainly could not have play
ed much part in the ravages of the disease
amonst them. What is true of the North
American Indians Is also true of the ma.
tives of the interior of Africa The
disease does not exist, and has not existed,
amongst them in their native country,
but when they are brought in contact
with it, they almost invariably die of it.
History records the same experience
of the natives of Bermuda and the Sand.
witch Islands, and what is true of these
people is true of families
PREVENTION or DISEASE.
In every case of tuberculosis the in
fecting germs have been derived from a
previous case; and if it were possible to
destroy all tuberculous discharges, and
avoid all tuberculosis food products. the
problem of further infection of man and
animals would be solved and the disease
would disappear off the face of the
earth, after those now infected had pass
ed away, Our preventive measures must,
therefore, have for their object the pro-
per disposition of all tuberculous dis
charges, so that it shall be impossible for
them to enter the air and be inhaled, to
be deposited upon our food as dust, or
TO enter the water which we use for do.
mestc purposes, and the avoidance of all
food products derived from tubeIcular
animals. The difficulties encountered
in such an undertaking make it impossi-
BILE, as it would require exact bacteria
logical knowledge, and sincere co-opera-
ton, not only on the part of all physi-
clans, but on the part of all other people,
especially those who are already suffer
ing from the disease. All we can strive
for is the restriction of the evil by which
the opportunities for infection may be
diminished so that eventually the
disease shall become less prevalent.
tuberculosis is certainly not a disease
which justifies the quarantine of patients
for their own good, and even if desirable
fol the protection of others it would
, scarcely be feasible to do this with per
haps 1000, 900 of people who suffer from
it in some form or other in this country.
THE LIMIT or LAW.
| If we need law at all it should provide
that cases of tuberculosis be reported by
the attending physician and printed in.
structions be left at the household set
ting forth the danger of infection and its
mode of prevention. The domiciles of
those who have died of tuberculosis
should be properly disinfected voluntari.
: ly or by compulsion. My own expert.
ence has taught me that only small
minority Of the patients and accompany
| ing friends are aware of the danger of
infect on from, sputum, etc, and less
number still have received any detailed
instruction as to prevention. Tubercual
discharges should be emptied from the
vessels upon sawdust or shavings and
after adding kerosene oil, then ignited
or should be buried after adding Stacked
| lime. The expectoration vessels should
be washed and rinsed in boiling water
or with strong solution of bichloride
of mercury. Whenever tuberculosis is
present in u family, the greatest degree
of separation possible of the one infected
should he secured If the infected per
son cannot be removed to special insti-
tuition or hospital at the time when there
is still good prospect for successful
treatment, an effort should be made to
remove young children from the house
by providing temporary asylum with
relatives or friends. The great DISPOSE
tion Of young children to become infect
ed make absolute separation the only
safe course 1t is simply impossible in
paper like this to say anything in de-
tail regarding the treatment of tuber.