The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1908-09-30
VACCINATION FOR
TUBERCULOSIS
DR.. julius Bartel Arouses
tuberculosis Congress.
Says Aniuia Is Nave Been Successful,
Immunized By His Wonderful
Discovery.
COST OF THE WHITE PLAGUE

0 Washington. Sept. S0.-The treat
:; ment OF tuberculosis will be revolu-
!, tionized If the suggestions OF DR.
I Julius Bartel, a delegate to the inter
!, national tuberculosis congress now In
! session in Washington, are accepted
: DIR. Bartel proposes vaccination
2 against tuberculosis just as vacclna-
/, tion is now used as a preventive
!, against smallpox. His theory is meet
, ing with a great deal OF attention
: here. and many OF the scientists have
: declared themselves in sympathy with
his views. Were his theory put into
practice II would mean that every
! school child would be forced to I'M
dergo double vaccination. one
! against smaEpox and the other against
tuberculosis, the two dreads disease
pests of humanity. DR. BaFiei claims
that animals have been sucoqssfH,hy
, immunized against infection.
II Is said that with the aid OF vari-
Gus organs II Is possible to render liv-
ing tubercule bacilli harmless by con-
fining them some time within the
organs at a temperature of 80 degrees
Any attempt to utilize this action OF
the tissues of organs on the tnbercuie
bacil.i as the basis of immunzation
against tuberculosis will therefore
prove successful.
Fearful Price Paid.
That tuberculosis in the United
States Is paid for at the fearful rate
of $4,000 lives year and an esii-
mated money cost OF over one billion
dollars a year. was set forth in start
ling figures by Prof, Irving Fisher.
OF Yale college, in the congress yes
terday. He said that the consumption
blight was hanging over the heads Of
five million American citizens uniess
means were taken TO prevent the
scourge Continuing. Prof. Fisher
said:
! This is equal to the debts from
typhoid fever. scarlet fever. diph-
liberia, Appendicitis. meningitis. dla-
betes smallpox and cancer. all put
together Then again. il generally
takes three years to dle during which
time the poor victim can earn little
or nothing. Finally the scourge picks
out its victims when they are young
men and Young Women, at. the yery
time they are beginning TO earn
money. The minimum cost OF such
items as doctors bills. medicines,
nursing and ,oss of fsrnings before
death amounts to above $4,000 In
each case. while the earning power
which might have been II death had
not come brings the total cost 20 at
least $4,000. II this Is multiplied by
the lSN.ooo deaths. We find the cost
Is bigge- than the almost lncalcu'ahie
sum OF enc billion doilrs."
Millions More Doomed.
! Professor Fisher estimates that
over half Of this cost generally falls
on the luck.ess victim himself but
the cost Of Others than the consump-
tive Is $4,000 900 yearly. AS
matter OF sef-defense Il would be
worth while to the community. he
shows, in order TO save mercy
quarter OF the lives now lost by con /
sumption, to invest $500. 600. 900.
At present only a fraction OF perl
cent Of this money Is being used TO
fight the disease.
Professor Fisher confined his pa
per to showing the cost In actual |
money, but pointed out that the cost 1
In broken hearts and disappointment,
which can not be measured In mcney |
was much more important Five mi
lion people now living To- the United
States are doomed to ON consump-
tives' graves unless something Is done
10 prevent IL. As each death means
anxiety and grief for a who,s family |
he estimated that there will be over
20.00O,000 persons rendered miseT-
able by these deaths.
The subject OF "Tubercuiosis as an
Industrial Disease" was discussed att
length b. Frederick Hoffman. Stats
tician OF the Prudential Insurance
company. Mr.. Hoffman emphasized
the degree of tubercu,oss in dusty
trades.
Dust Devil Exposed.
He presented new Oecupationl
Classification by kind of dus, expose.
grouping the different employment
considered In detail into such as ex-'
posed workers TO the continuous in
halation Of metallic dust, mlnera
dust, vegetable fiber dust, animal and
mixed fiber dust. general organic,
dust. Some thirty specific occupa-
tons were considered in detail in
Guiding practically all of the more
important industries and trades
: In conclusion the speaker dwe.t
: upon the problem of tuberculosis pre-
: yention as labor question. bringing
: out In startling contrast the needless
waste ofohfe in american industry.
Summarizing tlsaremarks, Mr. Hoff-
man sail:
1T Is not going too far to advance
1t as a fundamental principle OF sani-
L tary legislation that the consumption
death rate among male wage earners