The Colorado statesman., 1909-12-25

such a physical impression upon the
Negro in forty years what is his future
hope, unless our own physicians take
stand with other men and make an
uncompromising fight.
When one class of people live, thrive
and are seemingly almost immune
from certain maladies, and another
class, side by side. becoming rapidly
extinct. it becomes the duty of every
citizen to seek out the causes which
have led to the betterment of the one
and the destruction of the other, ana
apply whatever remedy there seems TO
be indicated to extirpate the evil.
| am deliberately avoiding any dis
cussion of the causes, in order to make
clear the prevalence of the disease.
The discussion of the cause of the
high death rate is profitable so far as
it assists us in an effort to stamp II
out. This is statement which should
be emphasized, for the reason tnat
there are some who become unreason-
able and separate the one class, In
Ginning 10 dSCIlue IiS PiS'"iSHNS
tirely to racial characteristics and the
other class ascribing it altogether to
environments
The extent to which racial element
enters into the disease really has not
been determined, but in my opinion
racial element has little or nothing to
do with it.
The great question that confronts us
here in Denver is, what can we do in
the way of preventive treatment?
you have taken time to read the IN
struction on the walls and listened to
the advice from the graphophone, and
have had these lessons impressed
upon your mind, you have as the laity
progressed a long way. Ninety-nlne
out of every hundred cases which we
come in contact with are well devel-
oped, unmistakable cases of consump-
ton. And as rule these people come
to Denver with little or no means OF
support. The institutions that are es-
tablished for the care of consumpt1ve
patients, Agnes Memorial, the Ma
tional Jewish Hospital for Consump-
tives, the Oakes Home, and the
other institutions of less prominence,
all close their doors to the colored pa
tient. | am not criticising these con
ditions, but simply mentioning facts.
The better class or more well-to-do Ne
groes do not want to house the con-
sumptive for fear of contamination.
And as a result, rather than sleep out
of doors, which, by the way would be
better, they drift into the hands of
some poor washer woman, who is
tempted by the price of weeks lodg-
ing. And there they commence the
beginning of the end. One of the most
important and much needed institu-
tions in Denver or some point in the
state, is place to care for Negro con-
sumptives.
We as a race ought to push such
project and the white people in this
community ought to. give us every as
sistance.
How many homes have become in
fected by contamination of servants
whether it be the cook, wash woman
or chauffeur, who have come from
homes where consumptive persons
have been spreading their millions of
bacteria; and this infection is possi-
BILE because there is no other place to
take them except into these private
residences
have had two colored doctors under
my treatment who came here from
the South suffering with this dreaded
disease, which is not only the great
white plague, but a death-destroy1ng
black plague. These men had ample
means to pay their way. but both died,
and in my judgment the dingy dark
room with the kerosene lamp and the
foul air, the absence of sunshine,
stood as a stone wall between those
men and the hope of recovery.
Another thing: it is impossible to
get a patient in the County Hospital
until after a residence of from six
months to one year (and again, let
me say, | am not criticising the condi-
ton of affairs, but must mention them
to show you the exact status of the
Negro consumptive in Denver). And
when a Negro comes to Colorado with
consumption, with little money, he
more or less meets some unscrupulous
physician who, under the pretext of
cure extorts considerable of his
money And, after he has paid few
months board and lodging, he is with