New-York tribune., 1908-12-13
TOO MANY BREEDING PLACES.


Not only does the city expend money for the care
cOnsumptives in its hospitals but II is spending
large sums to provide sanatoruuS for the cure of
the disease. The Health Department has a sana-
torium OtisviIle. n. Y, the land and buildings
Of which valued approximately 100000.
The Department of Charities is expending $2500OOo
in the construction of a sanatortum Staten Isl
and and about S450,OO0 at BLackwelIs Island. with
the idea of soatng advanced cases and thus reduc-
ing he of Infection. Accommodations are also
to be provided in the new paviIions Of Bellevue
Hospital for tubercuIous patients. The last ex-
penditure was $50 600 for the removal Of the tu-
berculosis exhibit from Washington TO New York
After doing all this for the cure Of tuberculosis.
what is the city doing to wipe out breeding spotsE
The answer to this query includes the familiar
picture of Father Knickerbocker laying brick OF
the City Beautiful with hand and, possibly on
the principle Of not letting the right hand know
the left is doing taking the brick down with
the other Feather busters and methods Of clean
Ing are cases in point "Oh, well, there more
important preventive measures than discouraging
the use Of the feather dusters' perhaps some one
excllns forgetting that some of the other rene
dies such better living conditions, are harder 10
obtain and that little details when the active
and persistent disease germ is to be opposed
Perhaps it is to be expected that city
which, has had great deal of difficulty in deterTntn-
ing what its Indebtedness is should know now
many feather busters 1t owns out in the
course Of years stirring of germs II Is pos
sible however, to obtain impression OF the
1anirOTS. some JanitOrS nave recently
received scare owing the closeness with which
the methods of purchasing supplies are being in
vest gated, and at the slightest provocation
they graveIy produce evidence OF the number Of
fragments Of cheese cloth they distribute daily TO
the women cleaners. Some of them have estab-
lished Z checking system for keeping track OF the
movements of these cloth rags and other equally
valuable aduncts of their Labors. II IS known, for
instance that eighty busters are out in the
new Hall Of Records IN the course Of a year The
records OF the purchases OF supplies for the Board
OF Education are also IN such a condition that il
can learned that in the ensuing year $500 turkey
and 1900 ostrich feather will be required.
The insdious feather dUster INFO the very
citadel Of forces which fighting against tu-
bercuOss. the building OF the Health Department.
we now and then catch a duster in the building,
remarked an official Of that department few days
ago.
One is likely to make light Of the danger OF be-
coming infected with q disease from source which
is not perfectly apparent One might have some
reason TO fear from close contact with person
afflicted with an infectious disease, but would not
suppose himself in danger while walking through
the rich marble corridors OF the Hall Of Records.
Recently however DR.. William H. Park, the
bacterioogist OF the Department Of Health, visited
North Brother Island and asked hundred Of
the consumptives as their habits OF splitting be-
fore they taken 10 the island. OF the number.
eighty-two confessed that they had expectOTated
prouiscuously. Any one Of these might have left
a colony Of germs in the Hall Of Records