The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1909-02-19

yer of asSOciating with the patent and
in making it possible to give him need
ed care, the nurse free from fear and
the patient himself embarrassed by
the thought that he might be mem
ace to his friends. How much this
means we can realize when it is known
that in hospitals for the treatment of
tuberculosis there is not case known
where an attending physician Or a
nurse has contracted consumption.
from a patient in such an instit ution.
With equal intelligence and diligence
equal success may follow home treat
ment. This is surely material for the
argument OF Hope. But what Of the
danger from animal food products?
Soon after the discovery of the bac-
terium in man, one was found in cat
lie, swine and chickens. These were
similar in form and stTaining proper
ties to the human organism and the
three strains have probably acOmmon
origin in the common grass bacillus.
1t was found that cattle and Swir e
could be inocculated with the human
organism, and also fowls after IA p o.
cess in which the germ was gradually
accustomed to the conditions. BY re-
verse reasoning it was taken for grant
cd that man. could be infected By The
lower animal type of the disea e..
However, less than ten years ago 10
less a man than Koch declared the o.
gansms essentially different and that
meat and milk from tuberculous ami
mails could he eaten without danger.
This started Il furOre at once and al
most no other authority agreed with
him. but the fact remains that al
though thousands of COWS are found
in everv state infected by tuberculosis
there are few, if any. we'll proven gases
where the disease WAS transmitted by
them to man i'm spite of the great in
crease in the use of animal food pro
ducts. owever, that may be, the
tuberculn test for which we are in
debted again to Kock is being more ex-
tensively used and more and more dis
eased cows are being removed aud
herds rendered free from the disease.
Another bug bear has been the So
called heredioory or family cOnsump-
tiOn. Many of you no doubt have in
mind families in which several MEM
| bers had consumption The disease
was said to be hereditOrv in that fam
lily. Can you not think of any where
| several of the same family had and
died of diphtheria, smallpox or scar
| let fever? Is scarlet fever hereditOry?
Scarcely less so than tuberculosis.
Does child have tuberculosis at
birth? Rarely, if ever. Gaertner,
| Baumgarlen and Others have worked
w tn laboratory animals, rabbits and
| guinia pigs innOculating males and fe-
males and watching for evidence of
the disease in the Offsprings, and while
IN a very few cases the disease was
| found in the young at birth the occur
ance was so infrequent that true her.
| .diIy may be disregarded as cause.
Moreover the milk of the mothers Sell
| dom cont aims the germs. aud then on
| ly i'm advanced cases, or when the
breasts themselves were involved.
The child may inherit the habitus
| thisicus, big tonsils and adenOids the
| narrow contracted chest. making full,
deep breathing difficult; and gloomy
disposition and indolent} tendencies
which keep him from wholesome eXer-
else in the fresh air. The actual dis
ease, however. is contracted after
, birth from unguarded association with
diseased members of the household.
Foo often it is the result of fond but
| ill.adviSeu kisses on the mouth or
hand to mouth transmission from
creeping on dusty floors where the
germs have fallen. The only two ia
tai cases which l know of since COM
| ing to Minnesota illustrate THIS cycle.
Last February a labOrer died Of tuber-
culosis. He was ignorant and filthy,
coughed and spat upon the floor Of the
house where he lived. An eight
months old child crept on the floor.
Within four months this child was
dead of intestinal aud pulmonary tu-
/ berculosis. Six months ago another
member developed pleurisy with fluid
in the chest undoubtedly due to tu-
berculosis. These cases could no more
be called hereditory than diphtheria
under similar circumstances. Age,
sex aud race have little influence as
determining factors and that brings
us to a complex Of social, industrial
and political conditions which make
up our changing civilization and 0e-
termines resistance TO infection or pro.
gress of disease after infection. The
following will explain resistance: The
examination of bodies after death
from various, causes reveals the start.
ling fact that 10 10 80 percent of all
have had some form of tuberculosis
which was unsupported in life. 1t is
fair 10 say then, that possibly 30 per-
cent of the people now living have
been infected and never knew it,
This is worse than l feared" sale
the Black knight. True, but we are