The Springdale news., 1909-10-15

 ever they please and if any one should have the temerity to very gently suggest that they do other wise they will regard it as q piece of unwarranted meddling with their private affairs and resent 1t as such Indeed it seems to be an almost unI- versal characteristic of the consump- tive. to show little or no concern as to whether or not others con tract the disease. And they ex- ercise this same uneencern for mem bers of their own family, that they do for the general public Just here lies the reason why whole fam flies of children. as they come to maturity, are carried off; enc after another, more than in any inheri- ted tendency which they are sup posed to receive from their ances- try. On account of this ineredulitY and spirit of unconeern, no amount of persuasion will do any good
 There is no hope for LIS on this line except from legislation and that of the right kind; and I am not law yer enough to say just what it should be Many states and munic- qualities now have laws prohibiting splitting in public highways, in street cars, railway trains and oth- CT public places. These are not very effective because of their non enforcement and this non-enforce- ment is the result of ignorance and want of interest in the general pub lie.
 I would suggest law requiring all tuberculosis suspects to have q thorough, searching examination made including at least microscopy ie examination of the sputum
 Let every means be used to es= tablish diagnosis as early as pos sible Next let the law say what the patient and family should do in the way Of prevention as soon as the diagnosis can be made Let 1t require the isolation of the pa tient as far as is practicable and. humane Also that he carry spitcup or other means of taking care of the sputum so that t can be destroyed.
 oh of doing this is to carry piece of old linen in the pocket. and when he must expectorate, let him spit in this, fold it so as not to soil his pocket until he can get to fire and then burn it.
 But you say this law would not be enforced. That it would not be humane to punish these poor un- fortunate people with fine or im- prisonment This is true no doubt, but neither is it right or humane to allow them to go on unrexurained by any means and infect others who might and generally would. escape but Tor the1r wrong way.
 am sure some way of restraint should be reSorted to. l have thought that law giving the pa tient his choice between using these simple and necessary precautions. and being sent to sanitarium for consumptives. might prove effective There ought to be such institutions in every state, and maintained from the public fund.
 l am happy to say that the med ical profession and the publf gen erally are waking up and beginning to take some active steps along this line.
 There is now a crusade on which is intended to stay the ravages of this dread disease upon the lives and health of our people When I remind you that aside from age it is responsible for ten per cent of all the deaths occurring in the Uni- ted States you will perhaps begin to rub your eyes. It has very properly been called the great white plague and is killing many more people than the black plague.
 Surely this drain upon the lives of our people should be enough to awaken every power within medical men and every other one who has any humanitarian instincts within nm
 Many of the states of this Union have recently taken notice Of this matter. and have made appropria- tlens to be expended in many ways for the purpose of arresting it's destructive work l have seen a statement some where that the ag- gregate Of all these appropriations exceeds seven millions of dollars
 In addition to this the United States government appropriated another million for the maintenance of tha fraa fada,>a1 caDitar;o