Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-01-20
CITY HALL MEETING
Great Interest Taken in Anti
 Tuberculosis Crusade.

A mass meeting of the citizens in-
 terested in the movement to form an
 Anti-Tuberculosis league in this city
 was held in City hall yesterday after
 noon. According to John F. Gun
 shannon of Hartford one of the prime
 movers in the state for these anti
 tuberculosis leagues, the meeting
 was the most enthusiastic, consider
 ing it was the first in Waterbury, of
 any yet held in the state. Although
 there were numerous vacant seats in
 the hall, those present are evidently
 deeply interested in the tubercular
 movement and from now on much
 should be accomplished in this city
 as regards the prevention and spread
 of this deadly malady.
 Numerous delegates, representing various societies of Waterbury were seated upon the stage, and the dele
 gates who could not find chairs there
 sat with the audience. John Gun
 shannon of Hartford, a member of
 the state commission was the speaker
 of the afternoon. He delivered an
 address which showed that already
 he has devoted much time seeking in-
 formation which will aid him in
 bettering the condition of the un-
 fortunates afflicted with the great
 white plague. Mir Gunshannon in his
 opening remarks referred to the time
 when he was member of the Water
 bury Baseball team, stating the last
 time he was in Waterbury it was for
 the purpose of entertaining the pub
 lie. He had another purpose yester- day. He said the foremost writers and the foremost doctors of the day seemed to be all at sea as to how to treat consumptives and what were the best methods to adopt for it's prevention. They are pulling in diff ferent directions and 1t is rather diff1- cult to procure figures from them. Nevertheless have been able to learn that the average consumptive, by that l mean a chronic case, breathes out about 10,000,000 tuber- cular germs every twenty-four hours. The person with the malady, provid- ing he gets very little sunlight, and lives in dark, squally tenements in dark alleys, lives about three years. As I understand it there are about fifty chronic cases in Waterbury. They expectorate anywhere and everywhere notwithstanding ordin- ances prohibiting expectoration. Just imagine then the number of germs emitted by these cases during year. You can picture in your minds the danger to the public arising from the sputum of these persons. The person with weak lungs is liable to take in a consumptive germ in any part of your city. The death rate from tu- berculosis is awful. In 1900. 111,025 persons in the United States died from the disease. The death rate from the white plague throughout the same year was 1,095, 5,000. The annual loss because of tuberculosis is estimated at the present time as about S33,000,000 considering the loss of wages, the cost of dependent families, sanatoriums and free schooling.
 In this city last year there were notwithstanding that the laws in your city to prevent it's spread are better than in any other city in the state. Your doctors report all cases. which in itself Is most commendable. The doctors tell us that 90 per cent of all persons that live to the age of 40 have tubercular germs at some time"
 The speaker then went on to show why the city should have dis pensary and why in his opinion 1t is the most practical way to treat the disease in large communities. In the first place it costs very little money. Hospitals and sanatoriums are good but they cost money and few of the many persons afflicted can afford them. Moreover 1t takes the heart out of patient, especially father, if he is taken from his family and sent to some sanatorium. When a man is practically all in and you send him to a sanatorium or hospital, it is useless, you might just as we'll send him to a burying ground and let him die there. What you want to do is get your nurses and set them to work in the homes. They will ac- COIupltSu WUHutISs NUItONcE lt WILL I be much easier to encourage your l patients at home. Half the cure is l to cheer them and ease their minds. l If you can keep them from worrying, 1 the improvement will be remarkable. i I have seen case after case in hospit- 1 als and sanatoriums where there was 1 no improvement even after months | of treatment. The doctors were pug zled. But it was simply worriment. l The patients were thinking of their wives and children and how they 1 were faring. Just as soon as these men were assured their families ] would be looked after, you could 1 scarcely believe the change" He | told of a case that he had seen | recently:
 "A man was sentenced to Wethers-l field but he was so far gone that he ] was taken to the sanatorium at Hart ! ford. He was nothing but a shadow i and his lungs were in frtghtful shape. | The doctors said his case was hope less. He lived for few days, and a few days more. A month passed and I the man was still alive. He began 1 to get stronger. One day NIT Gun shannon went to see him and the fel-