Arizona republican., 1907-10-06

mark down and label those workshops
 and houses which must be most care fully watched in the future.
 Consumption Is largely a house dis ease. and any system of control is in- adequate which permits case after case
 of the disease to occur in one house,
 while houses on either side. equally Iunsanitary in construction and condi- ltion, remain uninfected. In the course of the work of our Statistical commit tee we found houses in Yonkers in which, in the past fifteen years, had yielded from three to six and even eight deaths each from consumption. standing side by side with houses which had not sustained a single death from the disease in all that time. In one two-family house. six deaths occurred. 20 two df which. so far as We could ascertain. were related: in a one family house we found that a sim gle family had furnished eight deaths from consumption. This deplorable condition of affairs has not besn due ,altogether to an inefficient health de- partment. During the last few years disinfection after death from consump- ton has been practiced in Yonkers with favorable results. Much of the high mortality is undoubtedly explained by the important circumstance that no provision, no special organization. has ever been perfected for keeping track of the migratory cases-those cases which, having lived for a time in one house. move to another. leaving infect ed apartments behind them. death- traps for the unfortunate tenants who. lall unconscious of the danger. suc- ceed them. If I were called upon to choose one single feature of an organ iZation which would, in my judgment, be more efficient than any other in the fight in which We are engaged, I should choose that which keeps track and control of the migratory cases. This is the particular work of statistical committee.
 Such work becomes a really formid- able affair, and to maintain it requires not only diligent committee. but the co-operation of the physicians of the city. the board of health, a visiting nurse and especially the people them- selves. The physicians of the com munity must be encouraged to co-op-
 
 health all cases of consumption seen by them, and such reports should not be treated in a routine way. but each. case on it's merits. so that the physician shall not be embarrassed in his rela- tions with his patient. Our own board of health has adopted an excellent plan in this respect It maintains a bac- teriologist, and invites physicians to send specimens of sputum for examin- ation. It accepts the physicians report accompanying the specimen as a suf- ficient notification, and it requires him to state whether the services of a vis- iting nurse are desired. or whether he will undertake to be responsible that the patient receives the necessary in- structions regarding infection.
 It is an easy matter to secure the CO., operation of the physicians of the community because, whatever may be their differences. physicians yield to no other body of citizens. professional or lay. in their willingness to assist in any good cause. It is of the utmost importance. however, to q movement of this kind, to see that this cooperation shall be secured in such manner that each school of practice shall be ad- equately represented in the movement. Each physician must be made to feel that he is an important part of great movement. and that much depends up- on his cooperation - certainly very much upon his moral support.
 In the educational branch of our work physicians are of the greatest value. A course of popular lectures. for r,la fs-r aFF given by the physicians of the com munity. Indeed, I believe that such a course of lectures is of greater value in the prestige il gives to the movement than in the actual educational results secured In organizing a course of lec- lures care should be taken to see that they are made as attractive as possible. They should be illustrated. and for that purpose. and in order to limit to a cer- tain extent both the length and sub ject-matter of the lectures. a series of lantern slides should be prepared. a list of which should be furnished to each lecturer. In addition to this each lecturer should be supplied with a set of pamphlets dealing in the simplest and most direct fashion with the var ious aspects of the subject-Prudden's tuberculosis and its Prevention" Knoprs Prize Essay" "The Handbook on the Prevention of Tuberculosis" by the Charity Organization society. Dis pensary and Home Treatment of Tu- berculosis," by Russell. The Admins trative Control of Tuberculosis" by Biggs, The Opportunity and Responsi- bility of Teachers" by the Charity Or ganization society. etc. We furnished each of our speakers with fourteen monographs of this sort. Having pro- vided ourselves with a lantern and a set of slides. with gas tanks and a portable frame on which to stretch our screen, we were prepared to go at a moments notice to any part of the city to give lecture. Our lecturers, chosen by lot so as to avoid favoritism, held themselves ready to give us a certain number of evenings in the course of the season.
 l think I may say without criticizing them unkindly that physicians as a class are not good lecturers. They are unaccustomed to public speaking. and usually read what they have to say from manuscript. Moreover. their daily work is so highly technical in its na-