The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1909-04-15
PAPERS GIVE AID.
tuberculosis Campaign is Given
Wide Publicity Throughout the
Country.

tVuhhts
April goth and 21st should see
large crowds of local people at the
Armory at the time of the tubercu-
losis exhibit under the auspices of
the State Board of Health in order
that not an ounce of information
from the addresses and practical
talks shall be lost on the commu-
nifty.
Consumption is receiving nearly
one-half mile of publicly week, is
the unique statement which the ma
tonal association for the study and
prevention of tuberculosis issues to-
day. According to some recent
statistics compiled by that body, the
various newspapers of the United
States printed articles concerning
tuberculosis, which, when measured,
amounted to over $4,000 column in
ches of space in two weeks.
The investigation which the ma
tional association conducted includ-
ed all of the daily and weekly news
papers throughout the United States
as we'll as some of the larger jour-
nails and magazines. In the two
weeks which were taken as stand
ard, it was found that 51,557 COL
umn inches of space was devoted to
the subject of tuberculosis. If all of
this matter were gathered together
at one time, it would make news
paper the ordinary size of 500 pages
printed solid, without any advertise
ments, all on the subject of tuber-
culosis. If it were arranged in one
long chain, it would make a single
column of matter four-fifths of
mile long and two and one-quarter
inches wide.
Among the numerous agencies
which are today joining in the fight
against tuberculosis, such as the
school, church, and labor unions,
the press is in the foremost rank.
Never before in the history of
American journalism has the press
| taken such a lively and continued
, interest in a subject pertaining to
! human health. When it is considered
that tuberculosis alone kills nearly
! 100000 people in the United States
every year, and that there are at
the present time at least 100000 cas-
| es of this disease in the various
parts of the United States, suffi-
! cient warrant for the activity of the
press is given.
The following states are leading
at the present time in the afount of
| publicity being given to tuberculo-
! sis: New York, Pennsylvania, Mas
sachusetts, Connecticut, New Jer-
sey, Ohio, Missouri Texas, and IL
linois. However, there is not state
in the Union in which the press is
not devoting some space to the shb-
ject of tuberculosis.
Not only is the campaign being
l ny lut Wtthly anu VAL
press, but it has also been taken up
by the various magazines, weekly
story papers and other journals, re-
ligious papers and others of a SIM
liar nature. Even the foreign papers
are interested. A bulletin sent out
rerently by the national association
1 IN, Eua 1iffarant Ian
Iguages. An instance of the readiness
to cooperate in the campaign
against tuberculosis may be noted
in the experience of one prominent
weekly journal which devotes itself
entirely to philanthropic and charit-
able subjects. Seven years ago, when
this paper started to publish items
on tuberculosis, a number of its
readers considered it extremely bad
policy, because of the apparnt in
difference and repugnance of the
subject. Today such articles are
read eagerly and thoroughly.
The national association declares
that consumption will never be wip-
ed out until the prevalent ignorance
concerning this disease is overcome
To combat successfully this lack of
knowledge, immense amounts of lit
erature of various sorts are being
J | distributed constantly. Within a
| years time thousands of tons OF
leaflets. aggregating over one humid
red million pages, are distributed by