Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-11-28
VERMONT'S REAL NEED.
CFrom the Barre Times)

ttrOm the Barre TimeS.)
In view of the recommendation made
by the special state commission chosen
To investigate the need of a state tuber-
culosis sanatorium In Vermont IL is in
teresting to not that the state of New
York has don" FIR moro than is asked
of Vermont; instead of having single
state institution. New York passed
law in 1909 authorizing the establishment
and maintenance of such an institution
in each OF the counties of the state
the expense to be borne by each county
lnasmuch as there are sixty counties in
the state II can be seen how far-reach-
I'M the law of 1909 will prove to be AL
ready, according to information FUR
nished by the American Medical asso-
cations Journal, twenty-onc counties
have decided to build tuberculosis hos
pitfalls, and some of that number are now
engaged in the work of construction:
while it is hoped that before January
ten more counties will have come to the
same conclusion. making at least thirty
county tuberculosis hospitals. The New
York state department of health and the
, State Charities assoc iation are instru-
mental in furtherlng this work. encourage
Ing the counties to erect the buildings
In planning the hospitals. the project
ors figure the number OF beds to be sup
piled as two-thrds the average of tu-
berculosis deaths in the county. the cost
of construction being computed at about
$500 per bed and the maintenance about
s1.c5 per day for patient. The cost
as stated already. comes from the tax
payers of the counties and is. as the
medical contemporary states 'nsignfi-
cant in comparison with the sums the
public pay for good roads and the reac-
| ton and maintenance of armories, or
| phan asylums, Jails and prisons" where
as the money put into the county hos
| pita,s twill help to close up many AN
| almshousc and many an orphan asylum;
for this disease the most deadly in the
most productive period of human exist
! enco) is one of the greatest causes of
pauper!sm and probably the greatest
single cause OF orphanaEe
These facts and statements are worth
considering by the Vermont legislature
| now. when It Is confronted by "A propo-
sition to spend comparatively small
amount for a second state tuberculosis
sanatorium. We already have one in
1
ease. located at Pittsford, and it is doint
good work Sc far as its limited scope
and accommodations will allow; pa
ticntss In the incipicnt stages Of the dis
| ease are being put through course OF
treatment and training which. If started
soon enough, enable them to go fortl
from the institution practically wei
people and capable of taking their plac,
among the bread winners of the worlt
and adding to the production of the
world. But this institution at Pittsfor'
good as it is, does not meet all tn
requirements of the state: There Is
crying need for an institution where pa
tents in the more advanced stages o
the disease can be cared for and wher
they can be removed from persons t
whom they might communicate the dis
ease. Indeed more than one institution
of this sort is needed, although th'
counties to demand hospital in each
, and If the state will set the example
by constructing one state hospital 70
care Of these patients the subdivision
of the state may be induced to do some
. thing alonE Tho same line. 1t is onl!
, through this means that Vermont CA
hope to stamp out tuberculosis. or re
, duce it to minimum. Therefore, m
: State legislature ought to enact bill
which may be introduced to cover III
! accommodation of the special commits
sion, which has Just reported to Cover
| nor Flet cher.