Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-07-14
1AE WHITE PERL.
Consumption Must Be Prevented
Rather Than Cured.
STAMP OUT THE INFECTION.
Unless the Germs Of tho Disease In the
Habitation, Whether It 30 House Or
Tent, Are Utterly Destroyed Fresh
Air and "Cures" Avail Little.

Air and "Cures" Avail Little.
There is no cure for tuberculosis,
I'D probably never will be. accepting
the wore. ''cure" in the sense of some
special medicine. A disease prevented
is better than cured. for no one is SO
we'll Off physically or financially after
any illness. and particularly does thia
truth apply to tuberculosis. The SUE
cessful prevention Of disease does
away with any need for its cure"
This is well exemplified in the case Of
yellow fever. We have never succeed.
ed in finding cure for that forme:
scourge of the south. but we have
done far better. We have wiped out
the disease bodily. bQg and baggage
by simple preventive methods.
So writes DR.. F. C. Walsh in the
Technical World Magazine. and he de-
clares that not withstanding the "on
timists." the disease Is on the increase
He singles out and lays great stress on
the fact that consumption Is Il conta
gious disease and on the contention
that it Is not contracted to any great
extent through infected milk or even
by the using the drinking cups that
consumptiveS Use or through the ''spit-
ting nuisance" Its spread is through
the infection Of the habitation. Here
is one Of his PARALLELS:
Brown had moved In the month Of
May into house in another part OF
the town where he had always lived.
BY fall he had contracted tuberculosis.
1t was discovered later that several
'Ierent families WHO had occupied
this sasi,e house in succession had lost
several members from tuberculosis. Nc
attempt had ever been made to disin:
feet the house. Brown went to faf
western state. pitched hia tect on 4
certain spot. and never made 4:>v
change from that one spot until BIZ
death. Note that fact. AS resuk
the soil over which he slept night
after night becn me saturated with the
accumulated germs which be expelled
in coughing. so that be was continually
at night rebreathing into his system
the very seeds which cause the din
ease h. was rep0iSoning himself
nightly aud didn't know Il. His sys.
TEN would have been able to throw OF
the original germ, poison which 1t
contracted. but 1t was moi strong
enough to withstand new dose OF
the poison every night. Had he chang.
ed the location Of his tent daily he
could have slept each night in an at.
mosphere practically germ free.
Jones il another victim. He goes to
the same state lie has an idea that
he can get along without any tent and
sleeps with only the stars above. rolled
up In his blanket. He naturally moves
from place to place. each day sleeping
on new and different ground each
night. He ends BY being cured.
Smith has the disease and goes to
the west. He feels and looks in per
feet health long before year Is gone,
He returns home satisfied that he IL
cured In less than four months he Is
again in the tenacious clutches of the
disease
There Ia q lesson in this. The open
air treatment is all right. but It must
be carried out by right methods. All
early cases OF consumption which
have failed to recover by outdoor
treatment must lay the blame to
faulty treatment. Jones. who recover
ed. you will remember. did change his
location every day. having no tent to
bother him. and in doing 80 avoided
the fatal mistake Vt Brown.
How about Smith: The case Of
Smith Is Of the greatest Importance.
He had recovered. you will remember.
aud returned to bis home feeling fine
back to what? TO the very same
plague ridden room In which he had
first contracted the disease-a room
reekinC with tubercular germ life and
which had been occupied. 1t was
learned later. by FIVE different con.
sumptives ut various times. The dis
ease got 4 hold on him a second time
for the simple reason that he came
back to the original source Of his dis
ease He should have sought new
quarters. or else the house. and partic-
ularly the room he occupied. should
have been disinfected before being &C.
cupied by him or any one else. These
three cases cited are but typical in
stances. There are thousands upon
thousands of Browns. .Ioneses and
Smiths living and dying this very day
whose story. il told in its true light.
would match exactly the simple but
pathetic history of these three men.
The thing that the doctor brings out
is that consumption must be prevented
rather than cured: that prevention is
easy and cheap and lies in disinfection.
This. in the case Of the consumptive's
quarters. he insists should be at least
once a week The formula is simple:
'Fumigate every room in the house
with vapor given of BY heating
forma ldchyde: wash all the floors.
windows and woodwork with mild So
lutiOns Of corrosive sublimate and
water" Fresh air. either at home or
elsewhere. he establishes. Is in itself
insufficient.