The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1908-01-16

victims can be isolated and receive
proper care and treatment. Among
such states we find California, Con-
necticut, the District of Columbia,
Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mime
sofa Mississippi, New York, Ohio,
Rhode Island, South Carolina, Yer
mont and Virginia.
Many OF our states have sanatoria
devoted exclusively to the treatment
and care OF tubercular patients. These
institutions have been in operation
a sufficient length OF time to demon
strate that many cases are durable
and that in others the disease can be
held in dormant condition and the
victim permitted to live and enjoy a
good degree OF health; but the great
advantage Of these institutions is the
education OF the inmates and, through
them, the public in general, as to the
methods OF prevention, every ounce OF
which is worth pound OF cure.
Being ignorant of what South
Dakota was doing in her state institu-
tons, il anything, in the management
and care OF tubercular inmates, | adj
dressed communication to DR.. l.. G.
Mead, Superintendent OF the South
Dakota Insane Asylum, asking infor-
nation on the subject, and received
the following reply:
| have your letter of recent date
inquiring in regard to the prevalence
OF tuberculosis at the State Hospital
for the Insane.
Answering your questions categori-
cally / will say:
/. There are this day 429 men and
246 women, total OF 675, in the
Hospital.
2. OF these nine women are suffer-
ing from tuberculosis. There are two
women suspects. No men are suffer-
ing from pulmonary tuberculosis.
There are three men suspects.
3. One woman included in the
above has tuberculosis OF the bowels.
4. During two years last passed,
"a men and Il women died. OF these
6 men and 8 women suffered from
| tuberculosis.
B. There is no special ward at the
State Hospital for tubercular cases.
An ample pavilion for such patients
will be built in the near future, in
which we hope to embody every struc-
tural feature found to be OF value in
the treatment of tubercular conditions.
At present we have no means of separ-
ating them, except in the rooms adj
joining the regular wards. This
segregation is far from satisfactory
and probably is one of the reasons for
the greater prevalence of tuberculosis
among the women than the men, as
the women patients are more seriously
crowded at the present time than are
the men. In addition to this, for two
summers we have had large number
OF men living in tents, all tubercular
patients having been taken outside
for the summer.
Those classified as suspects are such
patients as appear to have been run
ming down physically, and in whom,
at some time or other, there has been
a more or less regular afternoon eleva-
ton OF temperature. Patients suffer-
ing from pulmonary tuberculosis
among the insane do not cough so
much as the sane, and rarely expec-
torate. An early positive diagnosis
is, on this account, more difficult
than it Is among the sane. Where
patient is losing appetite and flesh we
make careful observations OF tempera-
ture, and slight elevation in the
afternoon, even though there may be
no other signs OF tuberculosis, causes
us to class them as suspects. Tuber-
culosis is the bane of all institutions
where people of lowered vitality are
assembled. The diminished power of
| resistance and the constant oppor-
tunities for infection render the
depleted inmates exceedingly liable to
this injection.
In the deaths where tuberculosis
has been found to be present, we do
not wish TO be understood in every
instance as assigning that as the
cause OF death. Our people when
suffering from tubercular infection
sometimes die of other causes.
| sincerely trust that this informa-
ton will be satisfactory. If not, we
Will try to answer any other inquiries
you may see fit to make.
| am glad to know that you are pre-
pairing paper on this subject and
that you have turned your attention
to the State Hospital, for we expect to
ask OF the next Legislature liberal
appropriation for pavilion to which
we can take all of the tubercular
patients, and we wish it amply large
to enable us to properly classify them
according to their mental condition.
| shall be interested in listening to
your paper.
That there is an imperative demand
on state legislatures to provide state
institutions with sufficient appropria-
tons to enable them to properly treat
and care for tubercular inmates, is
beyond question. The great and pros
porous young state OF South Dakota
must not be found wanting in her
devotion to these unfortunate victims.
II there is a demand on our legisla-
lures for financial aid in procuring
special care and treatment for inmates
confined in our charitable and penal
institutions, many OF them life VIC