Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-09-22
GREAT FIGHT BEING WACED
AGAINST TUBERCULOSIS.
Largely Attended and Interesting Meeting
OF WatervilIe Clinical Society===The
Papers and Discussions on
The Great White Plague.

: cause Oh TUBERCULOSIS, tne pToSpeC
of a successful fight against the diseas
: wa not encouraging; but in the ligh
of what we now knows, there is ampl
reaon for believing that the death-rat
from tuberculosis may be steadily ant
even rapidly diminished.
tuberculosis is an infectious disease
This is another encouraging fact, TO
infectious diseases are preventable di
seases. The bacillus of tuberculosis.
was discovered in 1882, or rather Kocf
then announced his discovery of it
Since then, the life history of this di-
sease germ has been so thoroughly
studied by hundreds of eager and de-
voted scientists that, though there arc
yet mOoted questions, there exists g
| large fund of accurate information
| about the conditions which, on the one
hand, favor the spread of the disease
ard which, on the other, tend strongly
to lessen it prevalence.
| tuberculosis is preventable di-
sease. The results which have follow
ed we'll directed work against tuber-
culosis have, in most cases, been a
marked lowering of the tuberculosis
death rate.
y
| from tuberculosis was diminished for
| the whole State by 1872 per cent. in
New Hampshire, 81 per cent; in Mas
sachusetts, 1853 per cent; in Rhode Is
| land. 17.S per cent; in Connecticut,
1876 per cent; these figures all for the
same IA years.
The same story of the decline of the
dc ath-rate is true in many other
places; in New York City, from 1881
| to 1908, As per cent; in London. dur
ing the same period, 26 per cent; in
Prussia, So per cent; but the period
covered was % years, 1S7S-1906.
We can therefore state emphatically
that tuberculosis is preventable di-
seaSe, and there are sound reasons for
believing that our progress in stamp
ing out this ruthless destroyer of hui
m1n lives may go forward with ac-
celebrated success. There is nothing but
the mental inertia of our people to
prevent it.
Tuberculosis is durable disease.
That fact is not only a cheering one
to those who have suffered the acct
dc mt of tuberculous infection, but it
adds encouragement to the workers
along the line of prevention, for every
cured case clips down the number of
foci of infection in the State by at
least one. If. during the year. 100 tu
berculous patients can be cured, we NOT
only save that number of the lives of
our young men and young women but
a long stride is made in lessening the
number OF homes from which tuber
CT losis may be contracted. ~'
rFuhprr1I1nCic 10 h1n il, n lie
stlges, says Professor Schrotter of
Vienna but this assertion, though true.
needs qualification. A large percent
age of the cases in the early stage are
crrable, but only a small percentage
of the cases in the later stage of tub
| erculosis may be cured For instance,
at our sanatorium at Hebron, for the
year ending June, 1908, there were six
CO SEES in the earliest stage, all of which
went home with the disease arrested;
| there were SO moderately advanced
ca SOS staying more than five weeks, of
whom 40 had the disease arrested and
| tho other 10 were much improved; but
with % far advanced cases, it was n
different story. The disease was ar
rested in only one of them, though nine
others were much improved.
Do these patients, after leaving the
sd latorium, remain cured? DIR. Bow
di oh, of Boston. reporting on the lit
tx sanatorium at Sharon, says that, of
70 patients who left the Sanatorium
with the disease arrested, &c remained
W, II at the time of making the report.
which was for about third of the
pc rsons from 8 to II years, for about
another one-third from to years.
ard for the other one-third from / to 3
yt IRIS after leaving the sanatorium.
The best proof Of the value of sana-
torium treatment. says DIR. Latham of
London is obtained from a study of
the results of treatment before and
after the adoption Of sanatorium meth.
OBS Dr. j. e. Pollock, he says pub
lished in 1865 the results of treatment
| in 1856 cases of consumption, in all
stages. which had been observed by
hi nself Before the advent of sana-
| torium treatment SO per cent of pa
| ticnts in an early stage died at the
| end of five years, but after the advent
of sanatorium treatment 81 per cent.
of patients remained in, full enjoyment
of their working capacity at the end Of
! five years.
| Coming down to a little more of the
detail of preventive work, We must
keep clearly in mind this prime fact
that tuberculosis is a communicable
| tisease-if you please an infectious
disease, contagious disease-that
nearly the whole measure of our sue
cess will depend upon our limiting the
facility. the chances of extension of
| infection from infected human beings
to other persons. No matter how filthy
the surroundings and no matter how
| foul or how dusty the air, or how poor
and scanty the food. tuberculosis can
not start without the presence of the
specific cause, the bacillus of tubercu-
losis. In witness of this see the tribe
of Esquimaux in North Greenland in
generating themselves in their igloos
through the long winter.
We may, and we should, give due
credit to improved domestic and social
conditions. We must not neglect such
Iauxiiiary influences in the fight; but
there remain the potent facts: 1st, that
there is no constant relation between
the death rate of tuberculosis and
the degree of improvement in housing
conditions, in the cost of living. and
I'll