Los Angeles herald., 1908-12-05
MILLIONS SLAIN
BY CONSUMPTION
STARTLING FIGURES GIVEN OF
WHITE PLAGUE
1887 PERSONS DIED HERE OF
TUBERCULOSIS IN 1907
Los Angeles Society, Formed to Stamp
Out Disease, Discusses Methods
to Prevent Its Ruthless
Slaughter

stamp out tuberculosis, the Los An
geles Society for the Study and Pre-
vention of tuberculosis held a public
meeting at Choral hall last night at
which the following facts were in
cisively presented:
Since the first definite knowledge that
tuberculosis is a preveptable disease,
between 100000 and 100000 persons
have been allowed to die from it.
In California 10000 persons annually
come to the state to get rid of the dis
ease, according to the state board of
health.
In Los Angeles 1887 persons died from
tuberculosis last year, yet intelligent
precaution could confine all cases in
the city to those persons affected who
come from outside points.
tuberculosis is the most expensive
disease known to the country, but the
government spends more money in pre-
venting disease among cattle than to
stamp out diseases among human be-
ings. The average number of deaths
in the United States from tuberculosis
is one every two minutes and thirty
six seconds.
The foregoing and many other i'm
portant facts about tuberculosis were
brought out in ten-minute talks by
members of the society. DIR. George II.
Cole, president of the society, presided
and introduced the speakers.
IF in 1908 New Orleans was suddenly
swept away; in 1904 our own city of
Los Angeles was wiped out without
warning; in 1905 Kansas City had dis
appeared in 1906 Indianapolis and in
1907 st. Paul had been obliterated, you
can imagine the state of feeling
throughout the country" said DIR. Cole
in his introductory talk; "yet the pop
ulation of these cities represents in
fairly accurate degree the annual loss
/ in our country from tuberculosis-a
loss which should and can be pre-
vented. 1t is to bring before the people
of Los Angeles the Importance of this
movement which is being considered all
over the world, that we have called the
meeting tonight"
DR.. Luther NJ. Powers, health officer
of Los Angeles, spoke upon 1.-The Mu-
nicipality and tuberculosis" review
ing the progress which has been made
by the city health department in COM
batting the disease. He said the num-
Der of inspectors is insufficient for ade-
quate work in this line, and urged ac-
tive cooperation of the public in OBJ
serving the health ordinances. DIR.
Powers warmly commended the work
of the settlement associations in their
efforts to aid persons afflicted with tu-
berculosis.
The county work, particularly through
the county hospital, was taken up by
DR.. D. c. Barber, superintendent of the
city and county hospital.
MANY sufferers from tuberculosis are
sent here who would be better off in
the home they leave" said DR.. Bar
Der. "They come to Los Angeles to
take rooms in dark, ill-ventilated build,
ings, until their money is exhausted
and they are turned out to wander on
the streets. We are actually tele-
graphed, not infrequently, to meet pa
TENTS with tuberculosis at the trains.
Some counties seem to think it a joke
to provide patients with railroad tick
cts and unload them on Los Angeles.
Some have told me they were carefully
schooled before leaving to say they
had been residents of this county for
more than one year.
81 wish this problem were not before
US, but it is; and as human beings are
involved we must meet it, however
much others elsewhere may shirk their
responsibilities. Inhabitants of New
York do not go to Ohio to regain their
health. as they come to California; and
not until the states have uniform laws
controlling this will the burden be
equalized. In Germany the expense is
borne by the locality from which the
patient comes. when it is necessary to
depend upon the public funds"
DR.. Barber described the methods and
treatment observed at the county hos
pital. Owing to the fact most patients
are in the advanced stage, he said, they
are morose and will not aid in the
treatment of the disease, making this
the more difficult. He expressed him.
self as opposed to separate establish
California until other communities are
found willing honestly to take care of
their own sick
DR.. w. Jarvis Barlow, director of the
Barlow sanatorium for poor consump-
tives, "than which," said Dr. Cole,
there is no more worthy institution
in this state" reviewed the progress
made through the work of the sana-
toria. In his opinion a sanatorium for
tuberculosis has an important work to
accomplish in caring for medium grades
in addition to cases in the early stages.
DR.. Barlow advocated state hospitals,
supplemented by county and city hos
pitfalls and sanatoria and camps.
DR.. F. c. e. Mattison, chairman of
the public health commission of the
state medical society, took up the prob
lem from the standpoint of the sani-
tartan, which, he said, resolved itself
into a general public appreciation of
the importance of the question. With
out the public's aid, DR.. Mattison said,
the physician and sanitarian are pow
erless. He urged public action through
more careful disposition of filth, more
humane attitude toward sufferers, and
thorough practice of the gospel of
cleanliness.
c. B. Boothe, president of the state
| association for prevention of tubercu-
! losis, was the only layman on the pro-
gram. He spoke about organized effort
against tuberculosis, urging especially
elementary education in all schools re-
garding the disease.
DIR. F. M. Pottenger in speaking on
! Lay Cooperation and Tuberculosis,
called attention to the fact tuberculo-
sis is undeniably spreading among citi-
zens of Los Angeles, as is shown by the
| death records. This, he said, should
not be the case in a climate where the
windows may be opened every day in
the year, since tuberculosis is a house
disease, thriving in confinement and
darkness. Quarantine, DR.. Pottenger.
said, is out of the question, but ra-
tional preventive measures can stamp
out the disease save for imported cases.
DR.. George II. Kress, secretary of the
society," gave an address, illustrated by
stereopticon slides, on the prevention
and cure of tuberculosis, taking up
causes and comparative statistics and
detailing the most approved methods Of
the fight against the disease.
The Los Angeles society was organ