The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1909-07-01
More Than 500 People Listen to
the Rev. Harvey Dee Brown in
Fight Against White Plague
SHOWS GREAT LOSS TO STATE
Speaker in al Interesting Way Shows
Ravage5 o. Consumption and
Tells OF Methods TO Com,
Tat the Disease

menosha people showed their interest
in the lght that is being made against
the White Plague in Wisconsin Monday
everng when more than five hundred
of them went to the Rhode Opera
J House to listen to a lecture delivered
ny the Rev. Harvey Dee Brown, form
or pastor of the First Baptist church
and at present the field agent Of the
Wisconsin committee in The great
flight, Dr. Brown has put his soul in
to the work and his lecture proved
most interesting and instructive to the
large crowd.
The lecture dealt with the entire
problem of the white plague, setting
forth the extent and financial loss Of
the disease, then the manner of it's
communication, the things which pre-
dispose and finally taking up the cure.
About fifty slides were used to illus
trate the points made.
AS many people die annually in
the United States of tuberculosis as
were lost in the italian earthquake and
tidal wave a few months ago. The
figures go up to the vast number Of
100000 In Missouri alone there are
Il, 500 deaths annually. This means
l that there are 100000 out Of
two and one half million who will fill
tconsumptive IS graves unless something
lis done.
| If young man Of the age Of %
dies In Kenosha it means a loss of
$4,000 to the community. If he dies
at the age of 50 1t means loss Of
$4,000. If he dies at the age of so
it still means loss of $4,000. The
financial loss to Wisconsin from the
disease is seventeen and one-half mil
lions. We ought to spend large sums
for hospitals for advanced cases and
sanitarums for incipient cases in order
to save a part of this loss. Pen
nsylvania spent over two million in
two years for public health, one mil
lion of which was for tuberculosis
sanitariums.
'EThe disease is caused by a germ
which is very small and which may be
communicated from one person to an
other by means of spit. The con
sumptive' s spit is filled with millions
of germs. When he splits upon a floor
or the street and the sputum dries it is
blown about as dust and gets into
peoples lungs and establishes the di-
sease. Careless spitters are very dan
gerous to the community
Mr. Brown dwelt especially upon
this means of communicating the di-
sease, declaring that it was not heredi-
tary, but that it was communicated in
this way in families and sometimes
whole families were wiped out in this
way. He spoke of the things which
prepare the soil for the disease-ex-
cesses of any kind, the dust and smoke
of factories and working rooms and any
thing which diminishes vitality.
Concerning the cure Mr.. Brown was
very emphatic, declaring tuberculosis
is durable especially in its early stages
He gave as the sovereign remedies sun
light, the out of doors air, food and
rest, but he said that these must be
systematically used and persisted in
for long time in order to cure the
disease He said doctor was needed
not because he could give medicines,
but in order to superintend the
cure. He said that there were no
patent medicines a cure which were
worth anything. He concluded by
showing the necessity for collective ac-
ton and urged the people not only to
protect themselves, but to do all they
could to protect others from the di-
sease.
The audience burst into applause
when he declared that no one could
escape SO long as there was any white
plague in the land and that the man
who was willing to escape while his
fellow men had the disease deserved
to have it himself.
Many expressions of approval we're
heard at the close of the lecture.
BIG EVENT FOR G.. A. r.