The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1907-10-31
BATTLE WITH WHITE PLAGUE.
0ispensary in Every County Tor Treatment
OF tuberculosis Patients.

With the establishment of 81 dis
pensaries in a. many counties, the
State OF Pennsylvania will soon
have we'll under way one of the
most vigorous and most comprehen-
sive campaigns against tuberculosis
that has ever been organized.
III accordance with the provis-
ions of the law passed by the last
Legislature, DR.. Samuel G.. Dixon,
Commissioner of Health, is now es-
tablishing a dispensary i'll every
county in the State. His special
assistant i'll organizing this work is
DR.. Thomas H. A. Sites. In Phil
adelphia dispensary will be open
e6 under the care of DR.. Alfred
Stengle, whose name is we'll known
i'll medical circles not ouly of his
native city but of the country at
large. 1t is planned to have a CEN
trail dispensary and office in some
part OF the city easily reached, and
from there to reach out TO all sec
tons.
In Allegheny county the work of
locating a dispensary aud enlisting
the services OF capable physicians
has advanced rapidly, and the de
partment hopes within a very short
time to announce the beginning of
its active work in Pittsburg. Dur
ing visit paid by a representative
of the department to Pittsburg not
'ong ago, the whole city seemed
prepared to welcome the depart
ments work.
An exceedingly important fea.
ture Of the work will be the system
of home inspection and instruction
by visiting nurses. a nurse spec.
tally instructed and trained in the
hygiene of tuberculosis will be sent
to visit the home Of every patient
applying to the dispensary for
treatment. 1t will be her province
to thoroughly instruct the patient
upon such important points as the
amount of fresh air needed, the
most desirable foods, when they
should be taken and how they
should be taken She will teach
the patient and the other members
of the household how to conduct
themselves SO as to avoid injecting
those not already suffering from tu-
berculosis.
The nurse will be instructed to
search out and inspect every men,
Der of the household in which
consumptive resides, and wherever
there is the slightest sign OF ill
health she will do her best to per-
suade the suspected person to 60 to
the dispensary for examination. In
this way it is confidently hoped
that the dispensary will be able to
discover hundreds Of cases Of tuber.
culosis in the very earliest stages,
and at time when cure is not only
possible but probable. To the ply
sican who deals with consumption
in sanitarium and dispensary work
it is most difficult problem to
know how to get hold of patients
early in the course of the disease.
1t is here that those in charge of
the dispensary work hope to do
great good.
The department already has in
operation an excellent dispensary
at Wilkes Barre. Luzerne county.
DR.. Charles H. Miner, who is in
charge of the work at that point,
reports great progress. Since July
22 the physicians of the dispensary
have examined and taken under
treatment no less than 1877 patients.
Doctor Miners latest report shows
some improvement in more than 50
per cent. of these cases. At Wilkes.
Barre the work of the State is being
nobly seconded and aided by a So
ciety incorporated for that purpose.
In number of other counties
the work is already under way.
Not one county in the State is to
be overlooked. The attention of
the whole medical world has already
been riveted upon this movement
and popular interest is widespread.
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