Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1910-04-20

you an idea of the prevalence Of
this malady. Now that the public
generally is awakening to a sense
Of the appalling losses caused by
this monster, the :'White Plague",
and is commencing to realize that
these losses are absolutely prevent
able, we should do what we can to
push the good work along. Give
your hearty support to all move
ments aiming at the betterment of
sanitary conditions. Send men to
the legislature who will enact wise
quarantine laws, and let everybody
help to enforce them, and the day
will come when tuberculosis will be
as harmless as a mild case Of small
pox is today
tuberculosis and Society.
A.. R. Blakely was the last speak
err on the program. His topic was
Tuberculosis as Social Disease"
and he said in part:
The prevalence of tuberculosis
is a social problem in two respects:
(1) AS disease of the social or
ganism. that is to say we may think
ct a group of people in commun.
ity or state or nation as a sort of
organism. Disease prevailing
among the members of such an or
ganization weakens it just as Ger
tainly and in just as real manner
as sickness in an Individual disables
him more or less. Take for ex-
ample, the state of Minnesota. We
have some 10000 persons more or
less disqualified all the time. This
means Il serious drain not only on
the family but on his community
and the state as we'll. It means on
the average period of three years
that each patient is disqualified for
active service, from slight disabil-
ity in the early stages of the dis
ease to almost total disability in the
advanced stage. In addition to this
enormous loss there is loss arising
from the necessity of medical care,
nursing etc.
"Such losses are mere financial
losses which ought to be considered
insignificant when compared with
the suffering and sorrow that fol-
lows in their wake - the carrying
off of fathers and mothers who. can
hardly be spared from their chill
|dren. When we remember that
this disease, tuberculosis. is a pre-
ventable disease, we must admit
that it's wide prevalence is an irony
on the term fertilization"
(2) tuberculosis is. a social prob
lem in another sense, in that the
reduction Of the death-rate and
the ultimate eradication of disease
depends upon the attitude of the
rank and file Of the people. Medi-
cal men have taken the initiative in
the fight but, as someone has said,
it we are ever to down tuberculo-
sis it must be done by sanitation in
the individual home.' The crusade
is great campaign against ignor-
ance, carelessness and apathy"
"Some Of the more important
factors determining the death rate
from tuberculosis from the stand
point of the social worker are: liv-
ing conditions, wages, age, food
and drink, insurance and other
economic considerations. A study
of such influences with the hope of
determining how they affect this
disease and attempting to remove
the evil cause is the sane way of
handling such a problem-if we re-
move the evil causes we will not
be burdened with evil effects.''
Prof. Tonning of the city schools
presided at the first session, Mrs.
|G. E. Thomas, president of the To-
cal Red Cross society Friday after.
noon, and Judge Gilbert Friday
evening. Revs. Parmeter, Spencer
and Carl E. Oberg were among the
clergymen who made brief helpful
addresses. Senator Thorpe re-
viewed the work done by the State
for the establishing Of sanatoria,
at the last session.
The Local Society.
The charter for the local Red
Cross Society was left open during
the Anti Tuberculosis convention
and the total number of members
received. is sixty three. The an.
nual~ membership fee is only fifty
cents. The constitution of the so.
ciety also provides for sustaining
members who pay S. per annum
life members who pay $25 at one
time, or six annual payments as
sustaining members; and ex-officie