New-York tribune., 1912-04-07

y
w prove the eyes of New York school
w children.
If is well known that simians gladden. the
.rss Of childhood; but these are not wanted
g, that sense They are needed at the re-
s.arch laboratory of the Health Depart
a,ort 10 clinch a promising investigation ot
,r.cboma. that widespread eye disease
.hich is considered 50 serious that imm-
.rorts having il are barred by the United
States government from our ports
Dr Anna ". Williams. assistant director
- the research laboratory, thinks that a
toc,ilus located bv herself and assistants,
who have been studying the disease for the
last eighteen months is the specific cause
n trachoma. Final proof can be obtained
ord remedy perhaps evolved ny trying
out the bacillus on a certain manlikc ape
o., making a dozen apes more or less
Mind thousands Of human beings may be
made TO see.
There is no money al hand to buy these
amos which cost about 500 apiece. An open
invitation is extended TO phianthropists 10
contribute monkeys for the improvement of
human vision.
Trschoma T.. one OF those ancient diseases,
ern study has revealed as a widely preva-
lent menace 1t was and is confused with
other eye ailments 1t is highly contagious,
difficult 10 treat and leads to blindness. In
iii its bacterial cause is isolated beyond "a
doubt the extent of the disease cannot he
accurately known nor can diagnosis and
treatment he made scientific. Il is evil
dent that only nagrau, cases among i'm
migrants arc detected and excluded by the
government physicians.
Dr. Williams estimates that there are
four hundred actual cases among the
school children under observation by the
Board of Health Altogether seven hun
dred cases are being studied ut the re-
search laboratory from the bactcriological
standpoint School children with suspi-
clous symptoms ave picked out by inspcr-
tors and nurses and sent 10 the four eye
clinics Of the Health Department 4 home
visitor is dispatched 10 obtain the history
of each case and to show the mother how
to give home treatment. The committee
on the prevention of blindness Of the Sage
Foundation has contributed some funds
toward this work. including carfare for
children to visit the clinics. II is planned
to establish in the lower East Side, which
is a centre Of trachoma infection, sep
arate mixed school. where all the children
of the district who are affected can be
brought together and receive treatment.
Better results can be had in this way and
the danger Of spreading the disease IS les
sened
Philanthropists may take notice that ie-
sides the money for monkeys funds are
needed for a trachoma summer school.
The city Health Department can provide
land upstate. as well as doctors and nurses;
but money is wanted for food. to build
shacks and pay caretakers. About one hun
dred children would be looked after for a
Period Of three months. The effect upon the
disease Of a general hygiene as we'll as spe-
cal treatment is recognized. Trachoma is,
above all. a disease Of dirt and poverty.
The research laboratory IS making bac
THEOLOGICAL cultures of cases among immi-
grants at Ellis Island as well among the
school children At Ellis Island DR.. r.
II. Creel is trying the curative effect of a
trachoma vaccine made from the bacilli
located by the research laboratory ex-
perts.
DR.. G. Ward CHAMPION. medical director
of the Board Of Education. stated that the
uncertainty OF knowledge Of trachoma was
shown by the reports of its prevalence
among school children. which vary from
one-half Of ! per cent to 30 per cent Of
all examined. owing to dust, there is
hardly a normal. healthy conjunctiva-eye-