The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1911-05-12
Dr.. Reeds Address.
On tuberculosis

Treating Of the causes, prevention
and cure Of tuberculosis in his ex-
cellent paper read at the meeting
held at the Methodist church Sunday
evening, April 26. DR.. Reed said:
There is one thing / wish you
would all remember and it is this:
tuberculosis $ NOT INHERITED.
A child with tuberculos ancestry
has consumption because:
He or she inherits weak consti-
tuition from the parents and so when
infected the child's constitution has
not the proper resisting power
againstSthe germs of the disease.
Should our chest walls be deficient
in development and we have this
weak constitution, the lungs share
the weakness and SO do the cells of
the blood and every cell in the body.
Consequently we do not get sufficient
oxygen into the lungs, the lungs do
not properly pass the oxygen though
to the blood, the blood cells, lacking
proper tone and quality. do not
absorb the oxygen that they should
to make a successful fight against
the tubercle bacilli. So even when
we inherit strong constitution we
are liable to shut off supplies of
oxygen to our valiant little defen-
ders in the blood because:
We persist in congregating in
close. stuffy rooms where there is an
insufficient supply of oxygen even
for one man;
We sit in close rooms because we
are afraid of taking cold; and we
sleep in close rooms without suffi-
cient ventilation, for the same rea-
son;
We do not take sufficient exercise
and we eat and drink improper food
which clogs our systems and causes
an accumulation IF waste products
in our bodies which poisons all our
cells SO that they cannot perform
their functions.
:, Could we keep our bodies in prop
Ier condition tuberculosis or any
other disease would not cause us any
trouble.
tuberculosis is always due to di-
rect infection. The child Of tuber-
culos father or mother acquires
tuberculosis because it is in close
contact with the parents; because
house becomes infected after a
tuberculous patient. who is not very
cleanly. has lived there long; and
the child is more susceptible because
it crawls around on the floor. which
usually has plenty Of germs on it.
eats apd drinks out OF infected
utensils and is always putting things
in it's mouth regardless of the kind
or quality of the foreign matter
which adheres to them"
The doctor urged the great impor-
tance Of properly disposing OF all
sputum. Of enforcing strict splitting
regulations, and Of avoiding So far
as possible contamination from flies
which carry germs upon their feet
and deposit them in food over which
they crawl. He urged abundant
exercise in the open air, the destruc-
ton of every bit of expectorated mat
erial and &he sterilization Of all con-
tainers Of it. He further said:
against the danger Of infection
which may arise from kissing,
education alone will serve as pre-
ventive. But | do want to register
protest against kissing children
on the mouth because the poor little
things cannot help themselves.
Remember that the child is the most
susceptible Of all to tuberculosis.
and while you may not have the
symptoms Of the disease you may
have the germs in your lungs and
mouth and infect some little child
and escape yourself. All Of us have
the germs in our lungs at one time
or another and by repeated inocula-
tions become immune. A child
should be taught not to put any
thing in his mouth which has been
in the mouth of another. The
hearty cooperation of the patient is
very important. By helping to re-
move the various causes Of infection
he lessons the danger of himself be-
coming re-infected.
Dur sleeping and living rooms
should be well lighted and ventilated
and there should be an abundance
Of fresh air. Eat plenty OF good
food; get sufficient rest at night;
don't keep late hours; bathe ire
ouently and thoroughly and rub
down 3 briskly afterward to keep the
pores of the skin open and the blood
circulating properly; abstain from
tha. use 81 alcoholic liquors and
tIrues: exercise 81 TIE open airi de-f