The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1912-01-03

! sanatorium, which will be built along
the same lines as the one at Cresson.
The site selected commands pleas.
ing view of wooded mountains, broken
into gaps and peaks, with the Schuyl.
kill river winding in the valley to the
west Far enough away to avoid all
objection of noise and smoke, but near
enough to relieve a sense of lonesome.
ness, the Schuylkill valley branches
Of the PENNSYLVANIA and Reading rail
roads are seen, The quaint town OF
Hamburg nestles in the valley be-
low, bordered by stretches of farm
lands with restful pastoral scenes.
At these three state institutions, Mont
Alto. Cresson and Hamburg, the poor
will receive the ideal treatment for
tuberculosis.
Dispensaries Care For Thousands.
Hand in hand with the sanatorium
work goes the dispensary treatment.
At 115 places in Pennsylvania the
state department of health has a free
tuberculosis dispensary, in charge of
trained physician, with necessary as.
sistants and visiting nurses. Some idea
of the amount of work being done by
these dispensaries may be gathered
from the fact that from July, 1907, to
July, 1911. 41,792 tuberculosis suffer.
ers had been examined and treated
and regularly visited at their homes
by the states efficient corps of trained
nurses.
The educational and sociological
work alone that is being done by the
state from these dispensaries to pre-
vent the spread of disease and to bet.
ter the conditions of living among the
poor, would amply justify all the mon.
ey Pennsylvania has appropriated to
its tuberculosis campaign. And in
connection with this work of educat.
ing the people, opportunity should not
be lost to refer to the splendid aid
given by the public press in general,
through which 1t has been possible
from day to day and week to week
to talk over these problems of better
health and better living conditions
with the home group around every
fireside in the state.
When the dispensaries were started
1t was realized that If they were to be
fully successful the department would
first of all have to locate the INDECENT
cases. 1t, therefore, solicited and re-
ceived the hearty cooperation of civic
clubs, churches, organized charity as.
sociations, labor unions and the large
employers of labor throughout the
state. This cooperation has always
continued, and the department appre
ciates its value.
Nurses In the Homes.
When an applicant for dispensary
treatment has been carefully examined
by the physician in charge, and full in.
formation as to the history of the case,
environment, occupation, etc, noted,
he is carefully instructed as to what
he must do to improve his own health
and the absolute necessity of taking
certain precautions to avoid injecting
others. He is supplied with sputum
cups and paper napkins, and II he is
too poor to get regularly the proper
nourishment, this is supplied to him
in the form of milk and oil, the latter
having proven most efficient food
A day or so after the new patient
has been to the dispensary a trained
nurse calls at the home The squalor
and disease breeding conditions that
the nurse so frequently finds present |
a task that would seem impossible. |
But the nurse is all courage Bright |
and cheerful and a model of cleanli |
ness herself, she is not afraid to roll
up her sleeves and set the pace for
getting the house in order. Windows
are thrown open and Gods glorious
sunshine is allowed to come in and
run riot through the rooms, killing as
else can do so we'll the lurking
germs of disease What a difference |
Is made in that home The tubercu. |
losis patient is thoroughly instructed |
in the precautions he must observe |
and the health rules he must follow. |
and each member of the family is sim. |
ilarly taught how to avoid infection. |
The patient himself is especially ad. |
vised to sleep with windows wide |
open or, better still. TO sleep out of |
doors. Helpful suggestions are offered |
as to how sleeping quarters can
be made out of back porches. |
for instance, at a nominal expense |
Then the nurse makes a quick study |
of the other conditions in the home |
Perhaps she notices that the children |
are anaemic, poorly nourished and i'm.
clad. not necessarily because |
the family is destitute, but because
the little income that exists is not be- |
ing put to best advantage Here Is an |
to teach the mother how |
both in selecting and cooking the food
the greatest possible nutrition can be
secured for the least amount of money.
Saving Of Child Life.
So 1t is that nurses are going to the
homes Of the poor throughout Penn.
sylvania, letting in the sunlight, teach.
ing the life-giving principles of fresh |
air and proper food, changing filth and
disorder to cleanliness and neatness.
making these people their friends and |
thus making them understand that the
state is their friend. Can there posi-.
bly, be any other result than that these |
people should be lifted up, or, bette
still, that they should be melted t
climb up to higher plane of Twins
and morality. Thus they become bet |
ter citizens, better producers, and the
commonwealth is so much the health |