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

! human family irrespective OF age,
color, or position in life, we are forced
to regard the war on tuberculosis as
an international contest, rather than
local one, for no country exists
where tuberculosis is not found, and
no branch of the human family is
immune. Other countries besides the
United States realize the importance
OF legislation on this subject; in fact;
some OF the European nations have
taken the lead in the crusade against
tuberculosis, and their regulations
are far in advance of those OF our
Eastern states, where efforts to check
the progress OF this disease have been
in operation for some time.
A large PERCENTAGE OF those dying
from the disease die in early life,
many OF them before they reach the
age OF adolescence, thereby depriving
their respective communities OF the
commercial value OF a human life;
but is the commercial value OF a
human life the only incentive to
stimulate us in our efforts to stay the
! ruthless hand OF death?
The Divinity that spoke into exis-
tence man in the image OF his Creator,
designed that man should render
some equivalent for blessings received
from nature. Disease and PATHOLOGY
cal conditions were not born with the
human family; they are the results OF
improper modes of living. In short,
disease is the result OF violation OF the
laws of nature. 1t is not given to
man to know all OF natures laws, but
when he is conversant with laws, the
violation of which causes disease, he
owes it to the community in which he
lives to so enlightep the people that
they may be able to escape the penalty
of violation.
The charitable and penal institu-
tons of our land are an indication OF
the philanthropic spirit OF our people,
and it only remains for general edu-
cation of the nature of tuberculosis to
secure their assistance for the struggle
we have inaugurated against the great
white plague that has held sway and
devastated the human family for ages.
For the fiscal year ending June 80,
1906, there were 1914 deaths in South
Dakota; of this number 270 died from
tuberculosis, or little more than z
per cent. The census OF 1905 gives us
a population of 1876, 252. II the same
proportion OF this number have tuber-
culosis, there would now be in South
Dakota 32, 273 persons suffering from
this disease. There were so deaths
from tuberculosis in the state, among
children OF school age; the same per-
centage OF our population would give
us 6l3 tubercular school children.
| These 613 unfortunate children are
entitled to receive an education, and
the question for us to solve is how are
we to educate them without the danger
OF injecting healthy children?
So far as | am aware, there have
been no restrictions on tubercular
children attending the public schools
in South Dakota. This unfortunate
state OF affairs is to be greatly regretted,
| for no one conversant with the modes
| OF infection can help but regard this
as most fruitful means of spreading
the disease, since many OF the teachers
are as ignorant as the pupils as to the
dangers OF infection and the methods
OF prevention.
Permit me to relate case as an
| illustration OF the carelessness of our
authorities in enforcing regulations
to prevent infection in our public
schools. During the past winter l
received from physician in an ad.
joining county specimen OF sputum
from young lady employed as a
teacher in the public schools, with the
request that examine it for tubercle
bacilli. l made the required examina-
ton and found the specimen loaded
with the bacilli. The doctor imme-
diately took steps to have the young
lady relieved from her contract, but
as the authorities seemed to think
they could not terminate her contract
before the time OF expiration, she was
permitted to continue her school work.
Such fragrant violation OF the common
well-known methods OF prevention OF
contagious diseases, can be considered
no less than criminal, and il there are
no specific laws authorizing our off,
cials to terminate q teachers contract
when she is found suffering from a
contagious disease, the next legisla-
ture should see that effective laws are
enacted giving our school officers
unlimited authority to regulate cases
OF this kind.
South Dakota, among the foremost
states in charitable, penal, and educa-
tional institutions, does not occupy
the position she should occupy on the
subject OF the care and treatment of
tuberculosis cases. Many OF the