Putnam patriot., 1908-11-20
For the Prevention of Tuberculosis.

For the Prevention of Tuberculosis.
 Every other day sees sanatorium, association er dispensafyt fef the trent. Inent or prevention of tuberculosis, es tablished iu this country, K a state meBl jus, issued by lhe National Asse= eiation for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis. During the months of -epientef and October. IS a4saeia- lions, Ii sanatoria, and ! dIsPeHsafies were istafied ot provided fnf in the United States, making Il record of achievement ih aniiztabefeaiosis aeiiv ity never befote eqGalled in any coan. try of the world. The sltmalus for this wave of phiianthropie endeavof has been derived largely from the recent International Congress OH Tubefeaio- sis.
 From one end of the country to the other men and women of all ranks and classes are rising up to fight In the bat tie against tuberculosis. Including the .scenily formed societies, there are nj
 
 the present time 2ii associations for the study and prevention of tubefeu- iosis in the United States, with q total membership of over 2o,0Oo, all engaged in an active war on consumption. Ne yer before iu the history of the country has such an army been mnssed to fight against disease. And, with the pfes= snt rate of iucfease sustnined Il k esti- maiei thal .lhe army will he doubled in size within year. on January [, ls65, thpre we're in the Gnfted Stuies only Il associations fof the study and prevention q tuberculosis By jaaaz afy l, ie9a, thefc will undoubtedly he 2aa such associations. m inefcWe ot over sH0 per cent. The States which lead in the numhei of associations afe, Massachusetts wilh gd, New Jersey 5, New York l9, Michigan ld, and Pom. syl>ania n a5 of the 10 states have one of more associations.
 These associations are nil phiianthfo= pie ia organization, and ne composed ol physicians and lnymen, both men and women, who afe anxious Ia see the number of deaths from tuberculosis rc. duced. That such organizations are instrumental In saving life, may be seen from the reduced death.rates in several states and cities In Boston inc death rate was reduced from 2i 70 to is.io per io,o00, largely through the efforts of the local association.
 In New York fl K estimated that the campaign against tuberculosis has saved io the city annually at least 3,ooo lives. In Chicago n similar reduction in the number ot deaths from tnbercu- losis has been effected
 Al the head of the great campaign being eatried on throughout the eaun- try k the National Association for the study and Prevention of Tuberculosis, with President Roosevelt as one ef ils heads, and with nearly 2,otH members in every State in The ulon, Allied with the National body are as State Associations, who are iighting tuh,r- ealosis in their various states. And under these State organizations, or in' dependent of them, there are nearly sn associations in the pineipal cities of the country.
 The increase in the number of sanap ioria al the present time Is also parti- cnlarly noteworthy since the need for beds for tuberculosis patients is evident in every State. There are al the pres ent time, 2a0 sanatoria and hospitals making special provision for tubercalor Is patients, and the entire bed cspaci- fy of all these institutions k but ih,uuo When 1t k considered that there Are in ihe United States al least 4ao,oa peo- p< suffering from tuberculosis. one third of which number ought to he in sanatoria or hospitals, the lack of pro per ted capacity k very evident.
 The dispeasars movement, one of the later phases in the snti-iuberculosis campaign, Is also receiving a grea, im- petus. Four years ago there were only i9 aispensaries in the United States, al The preseni.tinle there are isA,, and new ones are being established at the rate of one week. rhese dispensafies are places 10 which anyone who thinks he has consumption, or knows lhai he has she disease, may go and k examined and given proper advice and treatment free of charge, or fer q sesY ssesll sum. The emphasis in these institutions las been laid on regular and sanitary fife on the part of the patient, and on bis sleeping ia the open air.
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