Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1910-02-11
Annual Meeting Vermont Sani-
toriunn

torium.
At the annual meeting of the Vermont
Sanatorium held at Pittsford January 81,
report was submitted to the Board of
Trustees showing the work of the SAM
forum for the two years ending Dec. 81,
1909. During this time 1871 patients
were admitted classified as follows: 81
were incipient, or first stage; So were
moderately advanced, or second stage,
and 20 were far advanced or third stage
cases. One case of general military tu-
berculosis developed meningitis and died
at the Sanatorium. This was the only
| death that occurred. Two cases were
diagnozed as non-tubtrculous. During
this same time 1875 patients were dis
charged. 80 or 2065% were apparently
cured, 70 or 471% arrested, % or ST.
improved, and 81 or 1852 unimproved
or progressive. Two cases classified as
Neutrality-suspicious. and two patients who
stayed less than one week not con-
sidered.
Taking the patients according to their
classification it was shown that of the 70
incipient cases discharged, 60 or 9O%
were cured, or arrested; of the 67 moder-
ately advanced, Sc or only 1857 were
cured, or arrested; while of the 1S far
advanced, only 8 or 1917 were cured or
arrested.
In order to show the importance of a
longer course of treatment, cases dis.
charged during the last year were divid.
ed into two classes; those that stay.
ed more than three months, respectively.
OF the "a who stayed less than three
months average stay 1873 days. IS or
80 So were cured. Moreover, the aver
age gam of those who stayed more than
three months was 1907 lbs. as against
onlo 1926 lbs. for those who stayed less
than three months. This table included
incipient, moderately advanced and far
advanced cases.
/ In order to show that the benefits of
Sanatorium treatment were not merely
temporary as full information as possi.
BILE was obtained regarding 76 patients
who had all been discharged more than
a year. Direct replies or positive state
ments were received regarding 81 and of
these 81 known cases, 81 or 50% were
living and earning livelihood. Here
again, the incipient cases show up
very much more favorably, $685. being
alive while 1882 of the advanced cases
were dead.
While the Sanatorium is intended
principally for early cases that offer
good prospect of cure or arrest of the
disease, moderately advanced cases have
been taken from time to time as vacanc.
les exist, the principal object being to
teach them how to follow the II eatment
themselves and continue it at home an d
to give them such hygienic training as
would minimize the danger Of infection
when they left the institution.
The figures given in this report show,
however, how much greater the changes
for cure are in the incipient cases and
how important it is that treatment
should be begun at as early time as
possible and they show, moreover. that
in order to obtain cure, the treatment
must be carried out for sufficient
length of time. The mistake is only too
frequently made that patients feeling
themselves much improved and benefit
ed leave the institution too soon and
before permanent cure has been estab.
lished, with the danger of recur ance or
relapse when they return to their former
occupation and Surroundings.