The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-31
GREAT WHITE PLAGUE IN
 WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
Pale Ghost Like Thing Hangs Over the Mountain Trail
 and Death Stalks That Way
By ANNIE KEN DRlcK WALKER.

and such a place is full of tuberculosis. You hear it said very much as you hear it said that strike is on in the south or that yellow fever has been discovered in Havana. In fact, I heard some one grouping "tuber ulosis, bridge and chil- dren" in one br-ath, when she was asked about 8 certain place here in these noun tains. You would meet all three, she laughingly said.
 With the exception of the tubercular patients, of whom I have had sad glimpses on some of these dizzy noun tain peaks I think that the tubercular victims come to these mountains in the winter season rather than in summer
 ''I have seen hundreds of them in muf- flers and raincoats sitting out on that piazza" said a woman to me not long ago, as we were passing rather noted place. but the winter season Is con sdered best for the tubereular patient who comes to Asheville."
 When you come upon the sanitariums, sometimes quite apart from anything else. YOU will see rows of sun parlors, apparently, and there, too, as in the lit tie tent door, the fierce battle is going on. the pale specter walks within.
 Some of the leading specialists in America reside in Asheville, authorities on the treatment of tuberculosis, ana successful in their hospital methods Their very rank in the medical world would dspel any doubt as to the climatic conditions here being favorable for the treatment of this disease. And the fact that of the great number of patients who come here winter after winter, many
 of them remain for the entire year, speaks also of the benefits of this alti- tude and atmospheric conditions
 And to the summer tourists who loiter here and come upon the victims of the great white plague, Is there risk to De incurred2 Would a few weeks here Tn this glorious climate mean that some day pale specter would walk beside your 1T you put this question to students of tu- berculosis they will tell you that there is absolutely no danger as long as you avoid a tubercular infected house and as long as you are not in direct contact with tubercular patient; and that IS easy of accomplishment. No one would deliberately deceive you in such mat ter, and you need have no fears of con- tracting it in this section of the country more readily than in the crowded cities The summer traveller gets only glimpses of the great white plague. You come
 upon it suddenly, you see it standing at the threshold of a little door, and you feel a tightening of your heart strings. Sometimes you see. high up mountain trial a cot on a little porch set about
 with flowers. something that may be a human being lies there and turns glassy, unseeing eyes upon you. This creature l Is already dead, but it is still conscious of the dawn, still awake to the flight of | the wild things about 1t. Nothing can l ever again have any terror for it, not | even when the fog comes in the throat. | It and the pale specter have lived hand ] in hand until 1t fears only that the time | is too far off when the mist already fill- | ing the eyes, will settle down forever. | Consumption and the effects of the open l air treatment was the interesting sub | ject dealt with recently by Dr. James l Kingston Fowler. What he said will be 1 of special interest in any article along l the treatment here in this locality. The l following extracts are from an article l which strongly recommended his treat l ment:
 In part of his address devoted to con- l sumption Dr. Fowler said that when, in | 1899, he opened the discussion on the open
 air treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis | 1t required some courage to advocate
 what many thought to be only one more
 addition to the long list of remedies which had enjoyed short vogue and had l been utterly forgotten. The buckets of l cold water thrown over the discussion | would certainly have drowned an infant | of less vitality.
 l But the sanatorium treatment was recognized to have had far-reaching ef- 1 fleets for good upon the health and hab- i its of the people, and may even have sug- gested the introduction of the daylight saving bill, measure which should have the support of the medical profession "T look forward said pr. Fowler, to a more general use of sanatoria for a
 variety of affections other than tubercu- loss. As the advantages of an open air life, combined with careful medical su-
 pervsion, become better known, the sea
 voyage-which so often means life In a
 windy passage on deck and stuffy cabin below-and the hotel at a continental health resort, where Influenza perhaps Is rife. will be replaced by sanatoria. My belief is that the sanatorium treatment will prove great assistance in our warfare against a disease which
 is now in retreat, and over which those who come after us may obtain a com plete victory
 Dr. Fowler then related an amusing
 story showing the unwisdom of placing too much faith in tests for tuberculosis
 He had recently seen a very robust looking officer just arrived from abroad who had been placed in a curious pre- dcament by a too blind belief on the part of military surgeon in the infalli-
 bility of a well-known consumption test
 The officer, contemplating marriage, and having some fear that he might be tuberculous, consented to be tested. He was assured that if the reaction did not occur before the afternoon of a certain day he would be proved to be free from any taint.
 The appointed day passed without any signs appearing and in the evening he went to a dance, and, confident of his soundness, on meeting the object of his affections. he proposed and was accepted.
 But alas on the following morning the eye gave positive result. Torn with
 conflicting emotions, the officer deter mined to come home at once and seek advice. But before he left his anxiety was diminished and his confidence in his medical friend shaken on learning that the whole of the rest of the regimental polo team had roasted to the test.
 
 proved ordinance appropriating S27 to