Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1911-09-14
THE White PERIL.
Consumption Must Be Prevented
Rather Than Cured
STAMP OUT THE INFECTION.
unless the Germs Of the Disease In ths
Habi.aticn, Whether II Be House or
Tent. Are Utterly Destroyed Fresh
AL md "Cures" Avail Little.


and probably never will be, accepting
the word cure" in the sense or some
snecial 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 this
truth apply to tuberculosis The sue
,.essful 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 n cure for hat former
scourge Of the south. but we have
done far better We have wiped out
the disease bodily, bag and baggage.
by simple preventive methods
So writes Or G. Walsh in the
Techaical World Magazine. and he de-
clares that Notwithstanding the "op-
tilnists." the disease is on the increase.
He singles ont and lays great stress on
the fact that consumption is'a conta-
rious disease and on the contention
that II is not contracted to any great
extent through infected milk or even
bv the using the drinking cups that
CONSERVATIVES use or through the spit
ting nuisance" Its spread Is through
the infection of the hahitation. Here
is one Of his PARALLELS
Brown had moved in the month OF
Nav into Il house in another part OF
the town where he had always lived.
Ry fall he had contracted tuberculosis.
II was discovered later that several
different families who had occupied
this same house in succession had lost
several members from tuberculosis. No
attemul had ever been made 10 disin-
feet thp house Brown went TO far
western state. pitched his tent on a
certain spot and never made any
change from that one spot until his
death Note that fact AS n result
| the soil over which he slept night
after night became saturated with the
accumulated germs which he expelled
in coughing. 50 that he was continually
at night rebreathing into his system
the very seeds" which cause the dis
ease He was repoisouing himself
nightly and didn't know it. His sys-
tenn would have been able to throw off
| the original germ poison which 1t
| contracted but II was not strong
enough TO withstand new dose OF
| the poison every night Had be chang
ed the location of his tent daily he
could have slept each night IN an at
mospherc practically germ free
Jones is another victim lie goes to
the same state lln 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
OH 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 "A year is gone.
| He returns home, satisfied that he is
cured In less than four months be is
again in the tenacious clutches of the
disease
There is n lesson in this The open
air treatment is all right but it must
be carried out by right methods an
early cases OF consumption which
have failed 10 recover by outdoor
treatment must lay the blame to
faulty treatment Jones, who recover
cd, you will remember. did change his
location every day, having no tent to
bother nim and in doing so avoided
the fatal mistake of Brown.
How about Smith? The case of
Smith is of the gres test importance.
He had recovered, you viii remember.
and returned to his home feeling fine
back to what? To the very same
plague ridden room in which he had
first contracted the disease--a room
reeking with tubercular germ life and
which had been occupied IT was
learned later by FIVE different con
sumptives at various times The dis
ease got hold on him a second time
for the simple reason thai he came
back to the uigiuH source uf hi dis.
ease He Should have sought new
quarters az elise The house. and p1rtic-
ularly the room ne occupied Shonid
have been disiufpctrd before being or.
cupied by him or any one else These
three cases cited are but typieaI I'M
stances There are thousands mon
thousands of Browns. loneses ana
Smiths living and dying this verv day
whose story. If tod in It's true light.
would match exactly the simple but
pathetic history Of these three men
The thing thar the doctor brings ONT
is 'aat consumption must BE- prevented
rather than cured that prevention is
easy and cheap mud lies 80 disinfertion
This tn The case Of the cor aimpriva's
quarters. be- insists, should he ar .easi
once Q week The formula is stmple.
umitute every room u the house
with q vapor given off by haaripp
formaldehyde; wash an the floors
windows and woodwork with mid so.
lutions Of corrosive sublimate and
water Fresh air either at home or
elsewhere he establishes Is ii jfsarr
insufficient
lie reaches the conclusion thar tha
very existence of the hope Of cure"
has been responsible for Increase NJ
the disease. Ee urges people to aee
from consumption by killing ii in the