Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-12-03

The Visiting Nurses and Anti-Tubercu-
losis association held an interesting and
instructive meeting Sunday afternoon at
Fort Street I'M E.) church, which was
we'll attended by the negroes of that sec
ton. DIR. E. c. Thrash and DR.. Loring
B. Palmer the latter negro physician,
made addresses on 1.-THE Cause of Tuber-
culosis' "~4
DR.. Thrash in his talk stressed the
point that the breaking of the laws of
nature was the cause Of tuberculosis, and
that unless patients helped themselves
and followed out the instructions ordered
by the physician there was no way of
curing the disease.
Ex-Governor Northen made the closing
address in which he showed how the ne
grces might cooperate with the white
people in stamping out tuberculosis.
Since the Visiting Nurse and Anti-Tu-
berculosis association began several
weeks ago it's active educational cam
paign on tuberculosis a meeting has been
held every Sunday afternoon at one of
the negro churches which has been large
ly attended and the strictest attention
given the speakers and an evidence of
general approval of the campaign is
given by the negroes. ..
The association, when beginning this
educational campaign, decided it was
pest 10 WOIh III 81 III llAC WOAo1 AAAA~'N~A
districts of the city, which was found
to be among the negroes; and since
they began their work of enlightening
the race on the cause, treatment, pre-
vention, etc, of the disease of tubercu-
losis a large number of the negroes
have manifested their willingness 70
cooperate in every way possible with
the association. N
The next meeting of the association
t,ol,I low 1irrnt
Addresses will be made by DR.. ]. Ans
ley Griffin and the negro physician. G.
H. Johnson, on Prevention and Cure
of tuberculosis" The place of the
meeting will be announced later
1t is the idea of the association 10
begin an educational campaign on tu-
berculosis among the white people when
the campaign among the negroes has
| been completed.
HORRIBLE, CONDITIONS.
The horrible conditions found by the
visiting nurses, Misses Girard and
Pratt, who are employed by the Visit
ing Nurse and Anti-Tuberculosis asso-
citation to visit the patients receiving
treatment from the dispensary in tne
Gould building, and it's branch on Au
burn avenue for the negroes, whose
duty it is to see that the physicians
orders are carried out and to report
new cases of tuberculosis, gives evil
dence that the white people of Atlanta
have no conception of the menace tu-
berculosis among the negroes is to the
whole city.
If the environments of many of the
servants, washerwomen and large ma
jority OF the negroes were known TO
their employees they would be aroused to
action, and before employing a servant
would investigate the location of the
home. the inmates. etc, and which would
no doubt result in a general upheaval OF
the conditions in the homes of the ne
groes.
/ A few days ago one found by the visit
ling nurses where a negro woman who
] had tuberculosis in its second stage, but
In order to support herself was taking in
each week the washing of seven or eight
hospital nurses. and also that of several
men. In an adjoining house was another
: case of this disease. AS the clothes were
washed and ironed they were put on the
/ bed where the patients had slept a short
! time before.
/ Only a few days ago another negro wo-
man in the second stage of tuberculosis
was found i'm the basement Of store on
Decatur street The windows were nailed
down, and so little light in the room
that a candle had. to be burned during
/ the day There are five other rooms in
J this basement, and another case of tuber-
culosis was found just across the narrow,
dark hall from the first patient. These
patients took I'm washing as long as they
were able to stand up over the wash
tub.
Another instance--a mouse harboring
four known cases Of consumption, sends
out of it's eight rooms from II to IS
washings each week. and the mother
of three of these cases is a cock in
Z restaurant on the porch of this house
/. hangs the sign. ''Sleepers Wanted"
Another instance of gross negligence