Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-12-31

suits Ut a study of eighty-three fami-
| lies in which one%or more members
werH affected with tuberculosis, to
| demonstrate, if possible, what a small
! part heredity plays and that the
| spread of he8sdisease must be the
| result of a direct transmission from
person to person. These cases were
compiled from the records Of the
Phipps' Dispenstry of the Johns Hop
kins hospital, and as I had the good
fortune to examine the majority of
the cases, l can vouch for their cor
rectness.
There eig;hIy-three hamilies con-
tanned a total Of 534 members; of
these 254, Or 47 per cent, were def
nitely tuberculosis, 10 were suspicious
and only PSI were well. At first
glance this might seem to speak for
heredity, but a moments thought
vii. show that the intimate contact
with members of ones own family fur
nishes the best possible chance for
contagion. In 48 instances there
were at least one child and one or
both parents infected. OF these cases
both parents; were affected in ten in
stances; the father alone in twelve,
and the mother alone in twenty-six.
Tho fact that we find mother and
child infected more frequently than
We do father and child, is easily ex-
planned by the necessarily closer con-
tact with the mother. Again these fig
ures speak for heredity, but let us
examine a little closer. In three in.
stances in above series the crild de-
veloped the disease we'll in advance
of the parent, and in seventeen In
stances we found one or more child
rem infected and both parents entire
" free from the disease. Out of the
254 cases mentioned above there were
1853, or g. per cent, free from an here
ditary faint.
wye ask: Is there the possibility
of contagion between individuals who
are is as intimate contact as in fam
fly life, and in who hereditary trans
mission from a common source can he
ruled out? We naturally turn to man
and wife. OF the forty-eight instances
above mentioned there were twenty
one >of conjugal infection, two cases
were suspicious and only twenty-five
in which one party had tuberculosis
and the consort was living and well.
Oman had three wives). This is a
most remarkable record and well H.
Illustrates the danger of prolonged in
innate contact. 1 wish to emphasize
that in no case where the consort last
developed the disease was there any
history of an hereditary faint. OF
distant relatives who had spent but
short time with the family, only
three were infected, very small per
centage when we consider the fam
lily tainted In five instances a per-
son coming from a sound family had
married into tuberculous family, the
consort not having been diseased, and
developed the disease. And now
comes most important factor: Only
three out Of 254 members Of these
eighty-three tUberculOus families,
who were not in contact with their
families, developed the disease. II
we accepted heredity as the most
important factor, We should look for
a larger percentage.
Excluding con jugal infection there
were eleven instances where an indi-
vidual moved into house in which
lived or had lived, tuberculous pat
tents, and developed the disease.
'Tf we begin with the general prop |
osition that tuberculosis Is an infec- |
tious disease, that 1t is preventa!ble
and, that in its early sages it is cura-
BILE, it is only essential that we be-
come actively enlisted In the sanitary |
CONTINUED on page g.