New-York tribune., 1912-03-11
FOR TUBERCULOSIS CURE
Or. John r. Russell Urges His
Dispensary Methods.
BEAT SANAT0RIA, He SAYS
Declares Proper Food Excels
Rest and Outdoor Life in
Treatment of Patients.

DR.. John F. Russell, whose ideas on the
prevention and cure Of tuberculosis have
differed materially from those held by most
medical authorities, inasmuch as he has
contended that rest and outdoor life for the
| patient are not essential and that the
question OF checking the growth and multi
| plicatlon of the tubercle bacilli, once they
| enter the human system, is matter OF
providing the patient with certain forms OF
nutrition. has coptributed an article 10
THE Medical Record for March IN
which he cites figures that he maintains
prove conclusiyely the soIndness OF hs
| theories.
! Under the heading The Plight Of the
! Consumptive Wage Farmer" Or Russell
! says: by far the greatest number of the
! Inhabitants Of this country are occupied in
some form Of labor. and are vsriously
! classified as wage earners. bread winners.
or more comprehensyely, as those en-
gagged in gainful occupations Every one
who has given the subject consideration
must know that in all large shops, offices.
factories. everywhere, I'm fact. where nn-
merous persons work, there are many con-
sumptives, the great majority Of whom are
durable. large number cannot stop work
even for a short time without serious sac
rIfce and still larger number cannot stop
work at all, lest they or their families or
| those dependent upon them suffer want.
, They cannot go to sanatoria If invited.
They perhaps cannot afford to consult a
private physician. or. II they do, are advised
10 stop work and go away; they cannot
go to dispensaries because the hours OF at
tendance at these institutions conflict with
working hours, or, If they do go, they re-
cevc no curative treatment"
For fourteen years DR. Russell says he
has been treating ambulant cases OF un-
complicated pulmonary tuberculosis in wage
earners without interruption to their labor.
The percentage Of apparent cures now re-
ported exceeds the percentage of apparent
cures now reported from sanatoria, he adds
DR.. Russell gives figures to show that or
consumptives in ell stages Of the disease
apparently cured at six Of the leading sana'
torla the average is 20 per cent, while al
the Thompson Street Dispensary, where
patients report in the morning and evening
each day and are treated by the method he
| advocates, the percentage OF apparent
cures so far obtained since the adoption
OF the lime starvation theory IS 81 per
cent.
If pure air and outdoor life are preventive
and curative, DR.. Russell says. one would
logically suppose that farmer would rare
ly develop tuberculosis. The 1908 census
reports show that in the deaths from all
causes among farmers 81 per cent were due
To tuberculosis Of the lungs. II the general
theory Of rest and light and air is accepted
Dr. Russell points out. the mortality among
miners and others who labor beneath the
earth's surface would exceed all other oc-
cupations, and yet, he says, the mortality
rate for miners and quarrymen is also 81
per cent.
The explanation the writer gives for the
cure of tuberculosis is food At the
Thompson Street Dispensary the number OF
patients is limited strictly to fifty, and
every patient is required to report twice
daily I'm all weather, Sundays and holidays
included. Once a week all patients are
weighed. and the men and women are ex-
amined and notes made OF their condltloh
on alternate Sundays.
"The benefits to be derived from the prac'
teal application OF the idea that dispensary
treatment is curative" DR.. Russell main
tains would add enormously to the value
of the results now obtained. II large city
like New York were dotted with such as
pensaries it would quickly become known
that curative treatment was 10 be han
without interruption to work. and pauents
I'm the early stages of the disease wouio o.
stimulated to seek advice and place theiu'
selves under treatment