The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1910-03-25
TUBERCULOSIS NOTES.
The Fight Against Consumption All
Around the World.

In order to show that splitting on the
sidewalks is dangerous to health, an
investigation has been made by Mr..
John s. Robertson, Medical Health
Officer of Birmingham, England, which
shows that seven per cent. of the
''spits" collected in public places con-
tanned consumption germs. On the
other hand the dust collected from the
floors of cottages of the Adirondack
Cottage Sanitarium has been found to
be free of tuberculosis germs, showing
that careful consumptive is not dan
gerous.
Consul-General George Horton has
made a report from Athens on the con-
spicuous work of Greek physicians in
combating the country's two chief
scourges- fever and tubercu-
losis. An annual average Of 1000 per-
sons die each year from the former
while in epidemic years, due to excess
sive rains, the number exceeds 5000,
which was the case in 1905. The pop
ulation of Greece is 2,433,S06 The
people have been interested through
| lectures, pamphlets, etc, to fight the
Misunderstanding mosquito by drain
ing stagnant ponds and throwing
| petroleum on them. a tuberculosis
congress will be held in Athens next
years, to which will be invited not only
physicians, but all the mayors and
other prominent people of Greece.
Under legislation enacted in 1905
the Danish Government pays three
| fourths of the expenses of all the
poor persons who desire to be treated
in tuberculosis sanatoria. When the
hospitals under construction are COM
pleted, Denmark will have one bed in
tuberculosis hospitals or sanitoria for
every 1000 inhabitants, a fact which
will mean that the length of treatment
can be considerably extended. In the
United States there is one bed for
every $500 inhabitants.
Efforts are being made in Bulgaria
to abolish the numerous mOnasteries
and converts of the Greek Caktholic
and converts of the Greek Catholic
Church and to use their buildings and
revenues for the establishment and
maintenance of tuberculosis sanatoria.
King Ferdinand has given 100000
frances for the erection of national
sanitorium. The death rate from
tuberculosis in Bulgaria is very high,
being 81 for every 10000 living.
The compulsory state system of
sickness insurance instituted in 1884
factor in combating tuberculosis. No
less powerful have been the public
Sanatoria, the number of beds in
which have increased during the past
4 fifteen years from 243 to SAP. OF the
200 tuberculosis sanitoria and hos
pitfalls in Germany, 35 are supported
by the carriers of sickness insur
ance. The statistics of the imperial
insurance department show, that as
many as AZ per cent of the number of
persons treated in these institutions
remained in good working health five
years after being dismissed from the
sanatorium.
London has three open air schools
for tuberculosis children. Similar in
!. situations have been established in
the United States, in Providence, Bos-
ton, New York, Pittsburg, Chicago,
Hartford, Conn, Brookline, Mass, and
Rochester, N. Y.
a significant phase of the campaign
against tuberculosis in Sweden Is the
establishment, by various industrial
concerns, of sanitoria for tuberculosis
workmen from their own factories.
The Vulcan Match Company, the
Liusne-Voxne Timber Company and
Sandwich Hardware Company, the
Ericsson Telephone Company and the
Stora Kopparsberg Company are
among those who maintain such in
situations, each accommodating from
fifteen to thirty patients. At these
sanitoria the workmen are received
free, and their families may be admit
ted for a small charge.
A bill will be brought before the
new British Parliament, calling for
steps to be taken to prevent the high
mortality from tuberculosis in Ire
land. The bill will demand the com
Dulsory notification and registration
Iof tuberculosis cases, the establish
ment of special institutions for con-
sunlptive patients, the instruction of the
public about this disease, and i'm
proved control over the meat and milk
supplies.
The death rate per 10000 from tuber-
culosis in Victoria, Australia, has fall
len from 14.5S in 1890 to 9.5S in 1907,
and in Melbourne and suburbs from
20 in 1890 to 116 in 1907. The fall is
attributed to the aggressive campaign
against this disease, including the reg
istration of tuberculosis cases, the
erection Of institutions for treatment
and the general Improvement or san1-
: tary and working conditions
4 line new 6OOAOSy 80 SAA@
. Prevention OF tuberculosis l. carrying
On vigorous and necessary campaign
this year in the island The death
rate from the disease in Newfound-
land is very large. about one in
every five Of the total population dies
of it, and, what is worse, IN the
last six years the death rate, which is
stationary or decreasing elsewhere,
mas Increased about so per cent. This
il due largely to the native horror OF
fresh air in the house.
ireland has a Society for the Ere
vantion Of tuberculosis and IS build
inc a SIS 900 sanitorium To accommo-
date 30 Oh so patients
MI An All-Russian Anti-Tuberculosls
has been formed, Win
headquarters at Moscow.
Societies for the promotion mi pup
1ic health measures and particularly
, for THY erection Of tuberculosis sana-
NJ toria have been formed in Bosnia ana
Herzegovina.
According to the statement OF
Creek pastor of Lowell, Mass, sixty
ner cent. of the large Greek population
! living in that city are afflicted with
!. tuberculosis.
Federal meat inspectors have shown
I, that two per cent. of the 56,OOO,OOO
hnps in this country a year ago, and
+har az Sg39 600. 600, are afTect-