The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-11-01
PLAGUE IN VIRGINIA
KILLING THOUSANDS ! !
Physicians Fasten Crime
Squarely on Shoulders
Of the Legislature.
1000 PEOPLE
AFFLICTED NOW
Annual Death Rate from, Tuber.
culosis Nearly 1000, With
Nothing Done to Relieve
Victims Charity
and Education
Needed.
pec,al rtom a stan Correspondent.

* J. &
tseeeia! From a stan correspss,dent.1 g;
tober 31.--With the astounding an-
nouncement that $4,000 people of yir-
ginia are victims to-day Of the white
plague-a disease which incomplete
figures show Is killing them at the rate
of 1000 year-Dr. Charles r. Grandy.
Of Norfolk in report read before tho
Conference of Charities and Correc-
tions this afternoon. nailed this crime
squarely upon the door of the Statc:ss
"yirglnln and its cities ana coun-
ties nre really spreading cOnsunip-
ttOn through the agency Of the jnils,t
nlmshouses and other institutions,
whose inmates, after being infected,
go home to sprcid the tiseasc
among their families and friends.
A more criminal procedure ON the
part of our authorities can scarcely
he imnEined." g.
Called off in an ordinary tone OF
voice. the statement did not create the
least show OF surprise. Without att
tempting to alarm the Commonwealth.
DR.. Grandy's purpose was to urge the
Importance oftnew legislation by which
tuberculosis wards can be provided in
the penal and charitable institutions for
THE separation OF afflicted patients.
Die by the Thousands.
Though his mortality estimate was
more conservative. DR.. a. e. Harris, OF
Berryville, declared that more people
are dying In Virginia from consump-
Ition than from smallpox. diphtheria
and scarlet fever combined. DR.. John
is. Fulton, secretary of the International
Congress on tuberculosis, went further
than the others. however. for; he ran
the whole gafilut of things that kill
and named score of diseases. the
I icombined death rate of which, he said,
was less than that of tuberculosis. He
leven Included suicide and railroad acct-
dents.
Problem Faces the State.
HOW to alleviate the suffering Of the
4 thousands, wandering now on the
brink of the grave, Is the problem
which the conference and the physl-
clans are endeavorlng to soive. They
4 ldmit that 1t must be done by edu-
4 .ation and charity. the former by the
people themselves and the latter by
the State. The formation Of u State
association has been suggested. mainly
for the reason that 1t may lead public
/ sentiment to the point of forcing the
Legislature to act. It was made clear
| In the able discussion OF the subject.
and by a searching investigation az
we'll. that large majority OF the
victims are practically paupers. It was
shown however, that prompt and sub
stantial help from the Legislature In
carrying out the pan proposed by
DR.. Grandy would heal the sick and
make the weak-lunged army sound.
Need Educntion Says Levy.
AS an evidence of the fact that
education is a prime essential in tho
crusade. Chief Health Officer Levy.
OF Richmond. called to mind case
which happened here less than q
month ago. He said that the Efforts
Of DR.. Parker to establish tubercu-
losis hospital In the second story OF
i his home failed because OF a whirl-
i wind OF opposition from citizens res
siding nearby. Some OF the objections
made by the neighbors were absurd,
DR.. Levy said, and the convention
caught the drift OF his meaning when
he said that the ignorant must he
educated backwards. This same class.
according to the physicians. believes
that the evil is more contagious than
smallpox being unwilling to admit,
i apparently, that 1t is quickly curable
i when proper methods are adopted.
Nothing Done for Victims.
To DR.. Grandy, rs chairman, was
assigned the task OF getting at the real
{ Tuberculosis situation In Virginia. In
because no records are kept of deaths
'Ioutside Of the larger cities To be on
\ the safe side he put the number OF
Victims at $4,000. Two years ago DR..
w. r. Read estimated the number at
10000. The one word nothing was
fused by DIR. Grandy to sum up the work
OF the State for these people. With a
view of changing this niggardly policy
he recommended four things: (1) Sepa-
I ration Of tubercular inmates in penal
and charitable institutions; (2) the
passage OF n law to Officially record the
death OF every person In the State and
the cause; (3) the establishment OF
4 proper hospitals for advance5lps cases,
now confined in almsho ousss iiasaf,
and (4) the organization fssANA&NkS
Tuberculosis league in evafy !E8fnlX
town to whip the white plaguesr Us sSissss
In the course OF his reportS he Ymads
1.-THE statement that Virginianss ito H. III,
|polsoned and buried and the authori-
i ties Will be none the wiser. The Sopina
lion was expressed that citizens ara
8Ibe.ng aroused to the Importance of
acting. their failure heretofore being
\ due In part at least, to Ignorance OF
4 actual conditions.
yirginia's Record startling.
Outside Of the report sproper. the
most important paper of the day, was
read by DR.. j. u. Harris, 3of Bsrryvilla.
his subject being Present and Future
|of Sanatorium Treatment IN Virginia.
4 incidentally he said that tuberculoiis
y fflls $50, 900 graves In the United states
every year. rich and poor being ar
fected alike The loss inNlrEinia, he
;. Ithonsht, was unusually large as COM
|pared With neighhorlng States. While
!. lhe believes that advanced cases should
be removed from their families, Or.
Harris said that the paupers shosld
J, !have first Iteration, because many
] OF the others could look after them,
i, selves. Ely a mathematical calS Via,
J tion he figured that there are 4 5000
paupers wttlls the disease He strongly "
/ Large to provide for this class ~ NE
Cheap aud Easy to Cure. NJ /. .ss
81 am an advocate aid DR.. Harris,