The sun. (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1906-07-07

OuBut W Ue BeutThlly knOWn.
Danger Of infection by milk and
meat Of tuberculous animals Is so rare
that 1t need hardly be taken into con-
sideration.
OF consumptives, sufferers from
consumption Of the lungs and the
threat alone are general menace be-
cause they are great producers of tu-
bercle bacilli, which they distribute
far and wide by their saliva and spu-
tum, even by their breath. When a
sufferer from lung tuberculosis
sneezes Ia your presence he may cut
short your life unless you take pre-
cautions at once.
But there are numerous cases
where the family and servants of suf-
ferers from tuberculosis of the throat
and lungs escape the menace, though
living In It's midst for years. Reason:
The afflicted person Is a paragon of
cleanliness and well-to.do enough to
AFFORD frequent changes of clothes,
airy rooms, etc. BY keeping the win
dows open day and night, the sufferer
prevents the accumulation of danger
GUS bacilli, and by taking reasonable
care In breathing, sneezing and by alb.
staining from splitting, he preserves
the health of others.
A sufferer from lung or throat tu.
berculosis, on the other hand, who oh.
Jects to light and air and doesn't
obey hygienics and the laws of clean.
Illness and decency becomes the muir.
derer OF his friends. Rather sleep out
OF doors, than breathe the same air
with consumptive at night. Il would
be better to rest on the bare floor
than to occupy the best bed in the
world with a consumptive. The i'll.
ness above described Is technically
called open consumption. Suffer.
ers from other sorts of consumption
have their disease classified as "clos.
ed consumption"
Victims OF "closed CONSUMPTION"
are not necessarily menace to their
Fellow beings. and even open con.
sumptives may be tolerated In the
FAMILY when they ere clearly, well
TODD enough to afford special com.
forts, and fond Of fresh air and sun.
sympathy for the sick Is very we'll,
put protection for the healthy Is bet.
ter. Germany has tried the problem
and In some communities cases of
consumption burst no more be sun.
pressed than cases of yellow fever.
This Is as 1t should be. American
communities should insist that all
cases OF open consumption" at least
be reported and recorded.
l am well aware that not all physl.
clans are qualified to decide on the
stigmata Of consumption. To that
end every self.respecting community
should establish, In connection with
one Of its hospitals, an office where
the sputum OF suspected cases Is in.
vestigated by experts. II the sputum
contains tuberculosis bacilli, society
must see to 1t that the unhappy suf.
lerer does not become menace ia
the community,
1t Is impossible to isolate all cases
OF consumption. by taking the suffer.
ers out OF harms way and placing
them In hospitals. Il Is not absolute.
~ necessary. either. II the worst
cases are isolated. much will be gain.
ed. For example: II Germany was
TO place all her consumptives In hos.
pitals, Accommodations for 100000
would have to be found. Cleanliness.
the spread Of hygienlc knowledge,
love OF fresh air and sunlight are
great aids to the boards OF health in
every country under the globe. Eng.
lands press has done much to warn
the people against slovenliness and
contamination, and as a result tho
death rate from consumption is stead.
lily decreasing there. When saw
England, ! mean England proper. In
Scotland the decrease Is very slight
and In Ireland there is no decrease