Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1912-02-15
REPORT OF A
TUBERCULOSIS
SURVEY

Why Consumption or tuberculosis
is More Prevalent in Some Country
Districts Than in Others
& It will come as distinct surprise to
some to learn that we have in the
country, a tuberculosis problem as Sc
rious as that in the congested areas
OF the cities. h
That there is, however, no doubt as
to the seriousness of the problem is
shown by the work Of the Wisconsin
Anti tuberculosis Association in Dunn
County, Wisconsin, and by the rural
investigation carried on by the Mime.
sofa Association in three townships in
our own state. alSss
Here we find almost ideal conditions
under which to live and work. There
is an abundance Of, fresh air, sunlight
and on most of the farms plentiful
supply of good wholesome food. will
speak of the food later
It was to discover the cause of the
spread of tuberculosis under such con-
ditions, that the survey was undertake
en-.
These particular townships were
chosen for the survey because: ~
1. They had been organized by the
County Society in the fight against tu-
berculosis. This was important be-
cause the people co-operated with us
in our work and we were thus able to
get information that would otherwise
have been difficult to obtain.
2. Because there was an unusually
high death rate from tuberculosis. In
one township there were twenty-three
deaths from tuberculosis in popula-
ton of five hundred, in ten years.
8. Because the inhabitants were far
enough removed from cities so as not
to be influenced by them to any appre-
ciable extent The two cities nearest.
to them were about fifteen miles from.
the center of the district investigated.
The distance from physicians has an
Important bearing on the problem be-
cause tuberculosis must be discovered
early If the best results are to be ex-
pected and people living SO far away
are not apt to seek medical advice as
soon as those living near to a physi-
clan. The onset Of the disease is very
insidious and it may be weeks and ev-
en- months before the person finally
realizes that it is something more Sc
rlOus than a bad cold he is suffering
from. The work was undertaken dur
ing the latter half of September of this
year, and while, had it been done in
the winter, we should have seen the
hygenic conditions at their worst, vet
by observing the manner Of living Of
the farmers, their social relations with
each other, the housing conditions.
and personal and family hygiene, it
was easy to understand how the in
lection, once started, should spread
with such rapidity and with such
frightful results from one member of
a family to another and from one farm
house to another
The visiting nurse employed by the
county in which the work was done
was in the field ten days before ar
rived and had made a preliminary sur
vey of township number one, taking
notes as to the living conditions, medi-
cal history, economic conditions, and
had noted all who seemed to be in
poor health or in any way suspicious
of tuberculosis
Our intention was to work from cen
tiers of infection and for this reason
the county society had secured for us
a record of the deaths in each town
ship during the past ten years. the 10
cation of the farm house and whether
the house had been disinfected or
Il : Il 1t .tf
not. s.
Later we changed our plans and
made a house to house convass as it
seemed ln to US that through the frequent
visiting among the farmers and the
total lack Of precaution taken by those
already infected, that the Infection
might easily have spread to any house
il the township and We might find
cases in some Of the houses which
& might otherwise be overlooked.
We could not, Of course, examine
every one in the three townships n Of
did 81 ID the time at our disposal permit us
ITO use tuberculosis tests to make a
microscopic exa y alton Of the sput-
I'm OF suspicious cases. We did how