The Calumet news., 1911-12-06
CAREFUL PATIENT
NOT DANGEROUS
HEALTH AUTHORITIES OF NEW
YORK CITY PRESENT SOME
INTERESTING FACTS ON
TUBERCULOSIS.

Ine mOnthly Duileun or the New
York department of health. recently
published contains important facts
relative to the treatment that con-
sumptives are receiving In this country
at the hands of the people in general.
II declares that a careful consumptive
is in no sense n danger to his neigh
bors. The stand taken by the New
York city department of health has
met the approval Of the New York
state department OF health, and an eff
fort is to be made to make life more
pleasant for consumptives I'm that
state. The department deplores the
fact that fear of the consumptive has
taken such n grip on some communi-
ties that they have practically placed
a ban upon them, refusing them ac-
'commodations, in hotels, boarding
houses, etc.
The article contains so many Vaiua-
bic points that 1t will doubtless be read
with good deal of interest in this
section, where a greater number of
deaths occur annually from tubcrcu-
iVoio Niidil libltl Uiiy hliltI cause. Int
average number of deaths occurring
monthly In Michigan from tuberculo-
sis has been for some time past in the
neighborhood Of from 150 to 175, while
hardly month passes but that one or
more persons in Marquette county die
from the white plague. In October this
county had four deaths from consump-
ton, while in the entire upper penin-
sula fifteen deaths occurred from that
disease, twelve of the latter being tu-
berculosis of the lungs.
The article referred to is as follows:
"The careful consumptive is in no
sense a danger to his neighbors The
mere fact of association with a CON
sumptive does not induce the disease
in the healthy. Tuberculosis Ia com
municablc. but the recognized means Of
communication is the germ-lad sput-
um of the consumptive, and If the well
known precautions arc observed 10
prevent the scattering of this execre-
tion from the lungs, the chances of in
fection are reduced to a minimum.
ut is heartless to make the life of a
careful consumptive miserable by con-
demning him to isolation or denying
to him the avenue for employment or
enjoyment that are open to his fellow
citizens.
This fear of the consumptiVc has
taken such gripson some communl-
ties that they have practically placed
a ban upon the entremce of such with
IN their borders; and hotels and coun-
try boarding. houses in some distances
refuse to accept consumptives as their
guests.
AS a matter of fact such a prohibi-
tion cannot be absolutely enforced;
consumptives do become temporary
residents of such establishments: but
they do it at the expense of a strict ad-
herence to truth in other words they
either conceal the fact that they have
tuberculosis or deliberately lie about
IT.. Obvious cases of consumption
cannot escape the enforcement of such
regulations, but there are many case
which are not advanced enough TO be
detected by the casual observer. and
many such are ordered by city physi-
clans to take up temporary residence
I'm the country.
IF Ii is known that the sentiment OF
the community in which they seek TO
make their abode is against their COM
ing, or that given hotel or boarding
house proprietor makes il a rule to
exclude such would-be guests. the in
terests of general public health are
likely to be jeopardized
Cases of tuberculosis must be re-
ported to local health officials; when a
case removes from one community TO
another the officials of the first place
should notify those Of the second place
of such removal. Lest such a notice
leads to sufficient publicity TO advise
q strict proprietor to refuse the patient
as guest, physicians and patients
often fail to notify their local health
board of the removal. In this way. un-
less medical care is necessary in the
new place Of abode, the case exists un-
known in the community; il is not re-
ported to the health officer and he cam
not exercise over 1t that observation
quarantine that the law and public
health interests require Opportunity
Is thus afforded for a focus of infec-
ton to exist unbeknown to the health
authorities, and the proprietor may
thus prove himself to be his own worst
enemy. Much more would be gained
by a frank recognition OF the situa-
tion, with an insistauce that consump-
tive guests exercise the necessary pro-
against the spread OF the
disease"