The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1909-02-11
FOUR ENCOURAGING FACTS.
From State Board of Health of Main

From State Board of Health of Maine
Four great facts should cheer every
worker in the crusade against tubercu-
losis; should cheer every person in whose
family there have been cases of tubercu-
losis; and should cheer every person
whose physician tells him that he has
tuberculosis. These four facts form a
silver lining to the dark cloud which has
long overhung us. The cloud itself is
this other fact, that $4,000 persons die
from tuberculosis every year in our
United States, and that, of US who are
now living, 5000, 900 must die of tubercu-
losis unless we lower the death rate
from that disease as we should and as we
may if we earnestly try to do it. The
four facts which form the silver lining
are these;
l. TUBERCULOSIS is NOT HEREDITARY.
That is proved. 1t is merely communi-
cable from the sick or from rooms and
things that the sick have infected.
tive mothers do not have tuberculosis if
mothers and from tuberculous homes.
COWS may be used for raising a herd of
animals free from tuberculosis, provided
their calves are Immediately removed
from their mothers and fed milk which
does not come from tuberculous animals
Again, persons whose parents, or broth
ers or sisters have died of consumption
gain just as rapidly as others when
given sanatorium or other suitable treat
ment, and their chances of final recovery
are just as good.
2. TUBERCULOSIS is AN INFECTIOUS
DISEASE. That is very encouraging
fact because an infectious disease
is preventable disease. There is,
however, practically no danger of catch
ing the disease from momentary or
short periods of exposure to the infec-
ton, as is true of some other diseases.
The careless consumptive patient is
serious source Of danger to all other pers
ons in the family or in the house with
him. The intelligent and careful patient
who follows faithfully the instructions
which are given to him by his physician
is ALMOST absolutely free of danger. To
illustrate, a person living in properly
conducted sanatorium filled with tuber-
culosis patients is in less danger of con
tracing the disease there than he would
be under ordinary home and social condi-
tons.
3. TUBERCULOSIS IS PREvENTABLE. AS
smallpox, cholera, yellow fever, diph-
liberia, typhoid fever, and other infecti-
GUS diseases are preventable and are now
largely controlled and prevented, so is
tuberculosis preventable. In our own
State the crusade against tuberculosis
was begun by the State board of health
in 1889. 1t has been kept up ever since,
and even with insufficient means to carry
on the work half as vigorously and as
widely as it should have been carried on,
we are now having in this State about
500 fewer deaths from tuberculosis every
year than we should be having if the
death rate from this disease were as high
as it was in 1892, when our registration
of deaths from the whole State began.
In the State as whole the death from
pulmonary tuberculosis Consumption
has been diminished more than one third,
and in the State outside the cities, more
than forty per cent Isn't that encourage
ing? But it isn't half as we'll as we may
do.
4. TUBERCULOSIS is DURABLE. Among
LOG patients under treatment at The
Maine Sanatorium from June l, 1907, to
June l, 1908, of those who remained as
long as five weeks the disease was arrest
ed apparently cured) in So per cent, and
80 per cent more were much improved
when they left the institution. There
were only six patients really in the early
stage Of the disease. The disease was
arrested (apparently cured) in all of
who were under treatment five weeks or
more, 40 of them had the disease arrest
ed, and the other 10 were much improved
when they left the sanatorium with good
prospects that many of those would
eventually fully regain their health if
the sanatorium treatment was carried
on at their homes. The average gain in
weight of these So patients was 20 lbs
and 2 ozs. But it is another story with
the far advanced cases, only one of those
left with the disease arrested; but nine
more were much improved. This is a
strong argument in favor of finding out
early whether you have tuberculosis, and
if you have, of putting yourself under
treatment early whether the treatment
is to be in a sanatorium or under the
supervision of your family physician.
While better results for most patients
may be obtained in sanatorium, if sana-
forum treatment is available, there is no
reason for encouragement if you cannot
go, because good results may be obtained
in many cases under home treatment if
the patient religiously carries out every
detail of the sanatorium methods at his
own home.
And now, reader, if you have tubercu-
losis you are the man "overboard. "
Whether you sink or swim depends very
much upon you, yourself. Anyway, you
need a life preserver, and if you have
one it must be built out of the material
which you will find in the folio wing six
brief rules.
l. If your physician thinks you have
tuberculosis, recognize the fact that he
knows more than you do about the mat
ter, and think yousself fortunate if you
can begin treatment early.
2. Follow carefully directions about
rest and exercise. Over exertion retards
recovery and is dangerous to tuberculous
persons.
8. Sleep in the open air. Live in the
open air. Be in the open all the time.
Dress so you will be comfortable in SO do
ing. Then the extreme cold of winter
will help more rapidly to cure you than
will the summers warmth.
4. Discard pies, cakes, preserves and
the like. Live on plain food, strengthen
ing food.-bread, butter, meat, vegata-
bles, eggs, and much milk. Your doctor
will tell you further.
S. Beware of patent medicines and
advertised cures for consumption and
u