The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-03-22
Dr.. Chas. |. Minor Points
Out Needs Of Birmingham
and Of the State
METHOD OF TREATMENT
AND CURE OF DISEASE
Saws If His Plan Looks Expensive II Is
Necessary If Birmingham Is
to Safeguard It's Gener-
al Health

Before an audience which almost filled
the First Presbyterian church last night,
Or. Charles l.. Minor, noted specialist
OF Asheville, N. c., delivered an address
on "i'he Great White Plague" which
which has resulted in the possibility of
an organized fight against this evil.
DR. Minor went into the details of the
disease, the germ theory. and Its proof,
the history of the scientific research
which has resulted in thep disability OF
it's cure.
Much of his time was given up to the
causes OF the spread Of the disease, and
then he got right down to the cure ana
prevention, giving one by one the steps
which must be taken by Birmingham, at
whatever cost, if she intends to keep pace
with the rest of the world and do her part
in conuuering the dread disease. Those
remarks were briefly, as follows:
"The real lesson to draw from all this
Is that you must keep your vitality high,
by sensible living, by avoidance of al
coholic excess, which has been proven
to greatly favor the spreading of the
disease, 5y keeping reasonable hours oil
work, which so few Americans are will
ing to do, by sensible, regular eating, by
well ventilated sunny homes, workshops
and factories In this way while l would
not say that we could laugh at the as
ease for 1t is too serious matter ioF
that. we can disabuse ourselves OF the
absurd dread of it which is now so COM
mon and can turn our attention 10 hght-
ing IT where it really is terrible and
scourge and pestilence, l mean among
our working classes and the submerged
tenth. whose conditions of life are SUCH
as to make it next to impossible for
them to maintain their vitality at the
proper point.
This is problem on which we of the
more fortunate classes must work IL
either for our own sakes or for the gooo
of the community we hope to eradicate
this disease; as I have said the problem
* not so hard a one for US, but how hard
one It is to our poorer brothers and
sisters only your doctors and Charity
workers know. The poor can seldom anorS.
TO consult a doctor early enough so that
the diagnosis when it comes Is usually
a sentence of death, they cannot go away
10 North Carolina or Colorado or Ari-
IONA or the Adirondacks, they cannot
choose their work so as to get favorable
conditions, but must take what they can
get and be thankful for that.
Treatment of the Disease
Coming to the treatment of the disease
DR.. Minor said:
s.Granted that patient mas developed
the disease, can he be cured and re-
stored to working efficiency?
Before answering this I must DIS
tfngujsh three types of the disease, the
acute rpaliary tuberculosis. secondly. the
binary acute or galloping consumption,
and thirdly the commonest and most ire
orertly seen form. chronic tuberculosis
The first which is not disease OF the
lurxs alone but is due to sudden aus
sc rnination all over the body by the niooo
OF the germ. which begins 10 srom
once in every organ. runs frisntluiiy
rs,,id course of from three weeks TO three
honths. is really an acute ln1eouoos
i,sea "a IKE typhoid fever. from which II
often cannot be distinguished, and save
ir rare and doubtful instances Is UNI
formiy fatal. whatever may be done.
The second or gaiioping consomp'ion
usually develops suddenly, tnoosn ~ i"as
follow on q chronic case. sts cooIso. %
its name indicates. Is galloping ana II
1rpal1y terminates fatally in from three
nonfbs to one year. though al umes II
NAV become chronic and go on to mai
curs-
The Comm0nest Form
.rbfralv comes the enormously more
co-nn,on. chronic tuberculosis. usually
of slow development and OF protracten
course. lasting anywhere from 10 ~
wears. and tending more or less spon-
tnneously to cure in the more 1aVor-
able cases.
"This is the only form which we
need h ere to consider, both because IT
Is much the commonest and because
for the Others you can do nothing. Ii
then we consider only this form can
answer to my question that tuoercu-
losis. recognized early. which Is alb
solutely essential. and treated rational
Nv. can be cured in from 40 to 80 per
cent of all cases. with final restora-
ton to working efficiency.
This have proved In my own case.
having recovered from the disease and
remaining well. despite the hardest and
most constant work.
| Our means OF cure are not medicine,
though at times they can be most USE
fun II not pushed TO the point OF up
setting the stomach, but If so, they
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