Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-01-22
TuberCulOSiS---ItS
Origin and Prevention
Lecture OF Dr. A ~ Hanson, Before the Parents Glass
Of the Third Ward, Sunday, January 16
Reported by d. III. Roberts.

ns. 'io 50 tndn other organisms.
but the chemicals that we usually
use for disinfecting purposes when
USED thoroughly Will destroy pretty
wen the organism of tuberculosis. The
chenlcalS that we usually use for
tuperculoSis, 1iaSol, or carbolic acid.
I-1o OF l per cent solution of BIZ
"A one-tenth solution of formnldehyde
the latter being the most effective.
a one-tenth solution of fermaldehido q
| is very enectlve in destroying this
| organism.
All animal life. at least tho higher
animals. seem to be affected with
tuberculosis. 1t does not affect wild
animals In their native state We have
never round a monkey living In the
forest affected with tuberculosis. The
snake In the hills never has tuber-
culosis.
DISEASE IN AMERICA.
l think, however, America Is not so
liable to the ravages of this disease as
most OF the large cities of Europe
Ihe sanitary conditions are better
And how well sanitation may take
care of this disease may be illustrate
ed by the fact that the disease has de-
creased nearly one half In It's per-
centage of population since 1874 in the
United States: that the decrease is
greatest in New York and In Massa-
chusetts, and in those two states the
n6ht against the great white plague
mas been most effectively carried out
In Great Britain the decrease has been
also nearly so per cent. In Germany
and Austria the decrease has not been
so great, but IL varies with various
years from 10 to so per cent in its
decrease.
Now we become infected with tuber-
CulOSlS In admit life chiefly oI,
the respiratory tract; we breathe In
the germ, Some authorities hold that
the greatest source of infection Is
through the alimentary canal in
children. This may be true. think we
can safely say that 1t Is true, that
more children become infected with
tuberculosis through eating the germ
than through breathing it. How do we
breathe this germ? Through a long
series of experiments carried out in
the Johns Hopkins hospital in Balti-
more 1t was found that an individual
suffering from what might be called a
mild case of tuberculosis would
cough out daily somewhere between
500,000,000 and 5000. .O00. 900 germs.
Not very many, just few. Many of
these, In fact. We might say most of
them, are virulent and liable to pro-
duce infection IL taken into the body.
INFECTED HOUSES.
The tuberculous Individual cough
ing will cough into the atmosphere for
a distance of six OF eight feet a fine
spray, each minute globule perhaps
containing thousands of germs. This
spray Will float for from 90 to 80
minutes in the air, so fine 1t is, be-
fore 1t finds Its way to the floor. Find
ing its way to the floor it vii! be
ground into dust, 1t dries. The least
movement the least current of air
stirs 1t up again in the room. Every
breath we draw in and out they go.
not so many out as in, however, in
this process Of breathing in the germ,
Another source of infection besides the
splitter and the cougher without pro-
tectlon to his face is the house where
In tho tuberculosis individual has
lived The cities of New York, Boston,
Philadelphia, Baltimore, and q limit
ed space in Chicago have what is
known as tuberculosis blocks: that
people who live In the houses on GER
tain blocks contract tuberculosis or
die of the disease not knowing that
they had the disease before entering.
Tt Is the experience of practically
every student of medicine to go into
the wards of tuberculosis hospitals
and to take Scrapings from the walls
and to inoculate into tubes or make an
emulsion In water and inject into
animals like guinea pigs and rabbits
and recover the organism of tuber-
culosis: to take the sweepngs from
the floors of hospitals generally and
recover the organism OF tuberculosis;
so you Will not wonder that In the
homes where people dwell suffering
from this disease that the dust of the
floor. that the walls. the ceiling. Will
contain thousands Of germs of tuber-
culosis This is a rich source of con-
tracing the disease. Another source
OF infection is through milk. while
the flesh of animals suffering from
tuberculosis may contain the germ, not
because II has lived within that flesh,
but because the flesh has been con-
tamlnated in the killing process with
the germ.
PREVENTION OF DISEASE
Now let us discuss for little while
| then what we shall do to prevent this
| awful disease and it issuch an awful dis
ease that today the individual who is
| known to have tuberculosis becomes
| almost a social leper. People shun that
| Individual They are barred from even
| the right to work II II is known that
| they are suffering from that disease
| People almost desire that that individ-
| ual shall cry as did the leperS In the
! DAYS Of our Savior. "Unclean, unclean,
| when coming near other people. So
| what shall we do? First destroy the
germ How shall We destroy the
| germ? Well. that is a very difficult
thing to do 1t can be done in large
| measure, however. by proper instruc-
| ton given to the individual affected
But il all individuals are affected moro
or less, what then? Develop proper
habits of life, The crusade against
cxpectorating is one of large virtue In
the world You will see the signs
| eyelywhere in public buildings, in cars
street cars, upon tho streets at inter
walls. 'Expectorating prohibited"
II Is a question OF education, this
question OF expectorating. If 1t is nee
essary to expectorate. If men must ex-
pectorate upon the public walks. lets
have the cuspidor. Let's fill them WITT
10 per cent liosol, or 1-10 of 1 per cen1
beniadld or. bichloride Of mercury moi
because that 1t is going to Kill the germ
as soon as 1t enters that. because Il
will not; it will live In that mater1a-
for hours. but 1t will prevent the dry
| ing OF the sputum and the dust o.