The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-02-27
PATENT MEDICINES
CAUSE Of MUCH
HARM
Says North Dakota Board of
Health in Statement Just
Issued.
THEY CONTAIN ALCOHOL
And Will Make tuberculosis
Victim Feel Better at Time
Results Injurious.
THEY CONTAIN ALCOHOL

(By N. d. Board of Healthy
tuberculosis is an infectious disease
caused by the introduction Of the
tubercular bacillus into some part of
the body. This may be brought about
by breathing directly into the lungs
particles of dried sputum from other
consumptives, by kissing consumptives
or using any vessel, such as drinking
glass, in common with a consumptive.
1t may also be caused by taking con-
sumptive germs into the stomach
through food, such as milk 1t is oc-
casionally produced by introducing
the germ through an abrasion of the
skin. The disease is much more pre-
valent than is commonly supposed. In
accidents, consumption is responsible
for about one out of seven deaths
from all other causes.
tuberculosis is not necessarily
fatal disease, in fact, many recover
from it who never knew they had 1t.
The most essential point in the treat
ment of the disease is in the making
Of an early diagnosis. BY this I mean
long before an individual has fever
and night sweats and great loss Of
weight or splitting Of blood. The next
point is that the individual be in
formed as to the true nature of his
malady and given specific directions
as to how to take care of himself. One
of our best authorities states that fully
80 per cent of the very early cases
are durable, so that would urge
upon any one who has a cough which
does not readily respond to ordinary
treatment to lose no time in consulting
his physician. The treatment is more
of matter of hygiene conditions
than medicine. In fact, many Of the
so-called patent" medicines are posi-
lively harmful and should, as class,
be stunned. Some of these medicines
contain large amount of alcohol and
make the patients feel better for
while. Others contain sedatives which,
in measure, alleviate the cough, thus
making the patient believe he is i'm
proving, when in fact, the disease is
steadily advancing, and every days
delay reduces the chances of the pa
tents ultimate recovery. AS an
abundance of fresh air is large ele-
ment in the treatment, it is perhaps
advisable for those patients to whom
expense is no great consideration to
spend the winter months, at least, in
a warm, dry climate where they can
sleep out of doors all the time. 1t is,
however, perfectly possible to treat
such cases in this climate and it is
much better for a poor man to stay at
home where he has friends and can
secure the ordinary comforts of life
than to go among strangers and have
to practice rigid economy.
If case of tuberculosis has occur
red in a family, every other member
of that family should take the best
possible care of himself for years af-
terward. In fact, they should be un-
der the constant supervision of their
physician so that if the disease does
occur, it may be treated in its incipi-
ency. No one should sleep In the
same room with a consumptive, GER
tainly not in the same bed. A con-
sumptive should never dispose of his
sputum in any way which might allow
it to become dried and inhaled by
others as particles of dust. For in
stance, he should never use a hand
kerchief,' never spit upon the floor,
should not cough in the face of an
other nor over table. Consumptives
should not prepare food for others.
Consumptives should expectorate into
an approved spit cup Of which many
are on the market, into an ordinary
spittoon party filled with disinfect-
ing solution and frequently emptied,
or into pieces of paper which are i'm
mediately burned or dropped into a
bag and burned later.
The fact is, that the habit of spit
ting wherever it is most convenient
is practically the only method of
transmitting tuberculosis, so that if
we would all give up this filthy prac-
tice, the disease would soon very
greatly diminish and probably become
almost extinct.