The San Francisco call., 1909-08-22

The nurse found that in the nome the
patient was sleeping with one OF his
children in an i'll ventilated room. The
back yard was small. but large enough
to erect a tent In for the patient. The
tent was purchased out of the money
granted, and also a steamer chair for
day use. Three quarts OF milk q day
were ordered, so as to allow two quarts
for the patient, and two dozen eggs q
week were ordered for the patients ex-
elusive use. Meat and grocery orders
were sent.
General instructions were given the
family regarding the preventive meas
ures necessary to be enforced, such
as the separate dishes for the patient,
the burning Of all sputum and the
danger OF the contact by kissing. The
patient was urged to make use OF the
adjacent park duripg the pleasant
hours of the day.
The children were all examined by
the clinic physicians for possible tu-
berculosis. No definite signs Of the
disease were discovered. but the chill
dren were all considered delicate and
In need of special care. The throat
specialist found that three of the
children needed operations for en-
larged tonsils and adenoid growths.
Arrangements were made for these
operations to be performed at a pri-
vate hospital, and after the operations
the children were sent to Hill farm.
serious mastoid operation was per-
formed on one of the children later.
What 1t Cost
The money expended on the main
tenance of this family for IA weeks
amounted to $120 1t included the
cost of the tent, steamer chair 232
quarts of milk and one months care
at Hill farm. To balance this expendi-
ture is a gain in weight of the pa
tient OF "a pounds in the IA weeks,
4 decrease in the cough and a decided
Improvement in his physical condition,
the protection of the family from the
disease by the revised sleeping ar
rangements; by the increased resist
ance of the children to the disease
through the removal OF nasal and
throat distractions and by the trip to
the country.
Abundant food, abundant air, abun-
dant rest is the slogan of the present
world wide tuberculosis campaign.
This medical prescription is costly and
not to be compared in expense to the
obsolete treatment which was con-
fined to drugs and allowed the patient
to work and maintain his economic in
dependence until death claimed hip.
In consequence of this revoIutionized
treatment, adequate financial help for
the tuberculous poor in any commun-
ity must inevitably consume a huge
slice of the total bulk of relief 1t ap-
portions to the poor of Its city.
Frequently the patient is the wage
Garner with a family of indeterminate
size dependent solely upon his wage
thrusts not only the patient but his
entire family into the dependency
line. The family is forced to remain
there during the indefinite period that
corresponds to the slow progress of
the disease toward either recovery or
death. In the latter outcome the en-
forced dependency must remain stati-
cal until the children reach the wage
earning period.
Proper sanatoria for early cases
which belong to the homeless, lodging
house cases or to that class which
can not be properly care for at home
mean a significant monetary output
The theory that the care of the
tuberculous poor is expensive may be
accurately demonstrated by figures ex-
pressed in dollars and cents. In order
to do this 1t is not necessary to cite
expenses entailed for more than one
group of patients which has been as
sisted at the tuberculosis clinic OF the
San Francisco Association for the
Study and Prevention OF tuberculosis.
The financial report of relief for
the above group covers a period OF
only 21 weeks. which dates from jan
uary Is to June 5. 1909.
The total number OF patients that
have applied for medical care in that
period Is 1e3. Out of this number 81
patients, or one-sixth OF the total num-
ber, have been given monetary as
sistance. AS it was necessary to help
not only the patients. but their de-
pendent families. the total number Of
people financially helped is 66. The
amount of money expended on this
group in only 21 weeks was $1.677.02.
The number of weeks each patient was
cared for total 1S7.
Eight hundred and fifty-two dollars
and sixty-three cents (sS52.6S) or about
SO per cent of the total amount was
given to patients referred by the Asso-
ciated Charities to the clinic and the
balance of $S24.39 was given to the
patients who were directed to the clinic
from other sources. The items of ex-
penditures include. besides general
maintenance, 1856 quarts OF milk, the
building OF three porches, the compile
tion of two homes. the board of baby
in a private family In order to protect
it from a tuberculous mother, hospital
board of three patients, board of 10
patients in the country. three steamer
chairs and beds and bedding.
AS the tuberculosis association has
no relief fund OF it's own the co-opera-
tion of relief societies was solicited
The Hebrew board Of relief contrib
uted out of the total amount s15s.35;