Bisbee daily review., 1912-02-21
BEGIN FIGHT UPON TRACHOMA IN ALL
 DISTRICT SCHOOL
Inspection at Don Lui. Seventy-Five Per Cent
 Are Infected
WHAT THE DISEASE IS

Thirty-four out of 4j pupils of the Don Luis school were found to be suffering from trachoma yesterday when the children at that school were examined by County Physician Miner and Dr. Downs, an eye special ist, who in generously giving his ser vices gratis in the investigation now going on. The school had been eX amined by the county health officer and yesterday his prognoses were con firmed by the specialist.
 Not all of the cases of trachoma found in the schools of the district have reached the courageous stage as yet, however, in fact the proportion of courageous cases Is very small. In the Don Luis school only six of the 34 cases were of the courageous ] type. the other twenty eight being very mild. Other schoo.i will be ex- amined during the week. The phy- I sieians will visit the South Bisbee | school today.
 | Disease Progresses Slowly I The progress of tracloma is slow, so slowly in fact that its three phases may be classed separately since in tut few cases does the disease pro gress beyond the second stage. The progress of the disease may extend over a priod of ten years, reaching the third stage, if at all, in middle lie.
 The scientific name of trachoma is granular conjunrtiDtis. The first stage appears without any previous indication and is marked by a slight thickening of the eye lids, is accom- panied by no marked discomfort no | secretion and is only slightly con- tagious, if at all, in this phase. The slight thickening of the lids is accom- panied by the formation of granula' tions, numerous discrete oval bodies in the tarsal conjunctiya, called tra | choma bodies. The disease el this stage is common in youth, but people in all ages are affected by it except | perhaps in the first year of life.
 Period of contaeion [. Unless properly treated the first stage will progress into the second stage, in which the disease becomes contagious This stage or phase of the disease is marked by a redness of the conjunctiva but it is not at once very acute There is some secretion and is accompanied by an itching and burning ot the eyes. Oftentimes the secretion causes the lids to stSk together when the patient wakes in the morning, and it is with difficulty that the ids are opened. In this con dition the illness is aggravated by the use of the eyes. This phase be- comes contagious when secretion be gins.
 Take Preventive Measures
 The majority of the cases discover cd in the district are of the first phase ana hence are not courageous. The proportion of courageous cases, is as stated. small and precautions will be taken when the examination of the school children is completed and will prevent the spEead Of the second phase and the further progress of the sec ond phase.
 There is also a third phase of the T. disease, but none of this kind has been discovered in the district. T TSs form is confined to adults and is the cutgrowth of previous phases during | childhood and usually ends in the at rophy of the conjunctiva. The first phase may last from three months to year: the second stage is more prolonged but may never reach the third stage. A period of ten years is required for the disease to reach the astrophic condition.
 The disease is caused by bad air and overcrowdine and becomes an epidemic in schools, barracks and prisons Means of segregating the contagious cases will be adopted as soon as all of the schools have been examined.
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