Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1910-06-12
PERSON
 SHOULD ATTEND Exhibit of National Associa- tion for Study and Pre- vention of Tuberculosis. WILL OPEN TOMORROW What Might Be Gained by Education Along This Line--Lectures Are
 Absolutely Free.
WILL OPEN TOMORROW

tion of Tuberculosis, which has been referred to on several occasions auI. ing the past week, is due to open to the public for a week beginning to- morrow afternoon. It will continue until Friday night for the white peo- pie of the city, and Saturday a,.l Sunday will be given to the colored people. The exhibition will be open each day from 10 o'clock in the morning until 10 at night, but the talks and lectures will occur only at 500 each evening.
 Since the International Tubercu- 1osis Congress was held in Washing ton in October, 1908, activity in the direction of greater crusade against the great white plague,' has rapidly increased and extended out the fight in this country still lags behind the work of European coun- tries. At the close of the Congress referred to, the men of medical science from Germany went home with this slogan: No more tubercu- losis in Germany after 1930." In oth- CT words they have allotted them selves 20 years in which to stamp out the worst pestilence, the greatest destroyer of human life known to mankind, While this may be a little strong on optimism the fact remains that with systematic, organized of fort there seems but little doubt th=t the disease can be wiped out. There seems no reason why the American people with the courage, resources and responsiveness which character ize the nation, may not go on to this end. It will probably require more than 20 years but with the educa- tional work now being carried on by the press, by local anti-tuberculosis organizations, churches, schools and every avenue for the instruction of the people which can be pressed ln- to service, it is possible to foresee the end of the annual waste of human life now attributed to this dread dis ease. The exhibit to be opened to- morrow is not one of special advan.- age to the physician. It is not physician's movement, though here as in other matters concerning health, the doctor is foremost in advancing the work because he is in position to understand it's great importance. Primarily the exhibit is for the pnr- pose of instructing and educating the masses of people on the subject; what tuberculosis Cor consumpticn) really is, how it is caused, how it may be prevented and how cured. But this campaign of education is along the line of prevention rather than cure. And it is for every citizen, whether he has had consumption or not. whether he now has it or not, or whether he knows anything about it or not, to cooperate in the spread Of the gospel of prevention and help not only to make the community more free from the disease, but to thereby en- courage the work throughout the whole country.
 Prior to 1882, the year in which the great Dr. Koch, of Berlin, discover ed the specific cause of consumption in the microscopic germ "tubercle bacillus it was, naturally, impossl- ble to promote measures for stamp ing out the disease. But now the cause being known, now that medical science has paved the way for the extermination of this plague, it re- mains for the people to do the work. To accomplish means the enlightea- ing of millions of people. "Imposs1- ble," you say. Not at all! If the citizens of Pine Bluff will avail themselves of this opportunity to secure information and then put it to practical use, no small part ill the
 
 campaign for prevention, is accom- plished.
 It has been estimated that the number of deaths from this prevent able disease in the United States alone is quarter of million an- nually. If a war was in progress which was causing the loss of even 50,OO0 men in the same length ot time, most of us would be taking notes and trying to form some idea of the duties of soldier But be- cause we have become accustomed to the awful loss of life from con-
 sumption; have become indifferent l or may be because we are still be- . nighted enough to regard it as