The Washington herald., 1913-03-30
SEVEN HUNDRED
PLAGUE VICTIMS
Appalling Number Claimed by
Tuberculosis IN District
During Last Year.
REFORMS ARE URGED
Campaign Of Education and Fight
Against Poverty and Vice
Necessary,
BY GEORGE M. sTERNBERG,
President Association for the Prevention Of Tuher-
cilosis Of the District.

President Association for the Prevention Of Tuher-
oilosis OF the District
During the year 1872 more than 700
deaths from tuberculosis occurred in the
National Capital II this number of
deaths had occurred as a result of an
earthquake, tornado. or a nre. the
whole country would be aroused, and Of
fers of assistance would be received from
all quarters. II the same number OF
deaths had resulted from an epidemic or
cholera or bubonic plague. the city would
be deserted by all who could get away
from ii, and there would be vigorous
demand for strict quarantine and inves-
tigation to ascertain why these pre-
ventable diseases were allowed To
slaughter the citizens of the National
Capital. But tuberculosis Is also a pre-
ventable disease, and from a humani-
tartan point OF view 100 preventabis
deaths occurring in a year are quite as
important a matter as II they had all
occurred during one months or one day
OF the year.
Practically every victim of this disease
contracts 1t. either directly or indirectly.
from a preceding case or from infection
by the bovine tubercIe bacillus.
The development Of the disease de-
pends: FIRST, upon tine introduction or
the specific germ-tubercle baciIlus-to
which the disease is due; and, second.
upon the susceptibility of the individual
to infection. II We could destroy all
tubercle bacilli. the disease would be-
come extinct: or, II we could make all
persons immune against the effects Of
the tubercle bacillus-i e.. against infec-
ton by this deadly germ-the ravages or
the disease would soon be arrested. In
the campaign against the white plague
We keep both of these objects In view
liz
to the best methods Of accomplishing
the desired results. This Is the princi-
pal function OF an association for the
prevention of tuberculosis.
Obstacles in Way.
The main obstacles We have TO meet
in this campaign of education are in
difference and ignorance. Unfortunately.
the indifference of the well-to-do and
well-informed classes of society is often
as hard to overcome as the ignorance
of the poorer classes. who furnish a
large proportion of the cases. Every
person in good health has a considerable
degree of resistance TO infection by the
tubercle bacillus. But this relative i'm
munity is weakened by various agen-
cies which lower the standard of health
i e.. the vital resisting power-of the
individual. Among these agencies We
may mention especially insufficient food.
excessive work, dissipation, insanitary
surroundings, bad air from oyer-crowd-
ing in closed apartments. and various
diseases which lower the vital resistance
for a time at least-especially syphilis,
measles. and typhoid fever.
Among the most potent agencies for
the prevention of tuberculosis are asso-
Citations for the relief of poverty. for
the prevention of vice. for the building
of sanitary houses for the poor. visit
ing nurses. tuberculosis dispensaries. san
atoria, and hospitals for the segregation
of careless and advanced cases Of the
disease. In addition to all this there. is
one agency which is fundamental That
is education To formulate measures OF
prevention We must have definite knowl-
edge with reference to the tubercle bacil-
lus. as to how il gains entrance to the
human body, and as to the results OF
its pathogenic action We must know
how 10 recognize II under the micro
scope how to destroy IL by chemical
or physical agents.
Education Is Factor.
But all this knowledge will he of no
avail unless the public generally appre-
ciates the fact that tuberculosis is pre-
ventabIe disease and Is convinced of the
importance of the measures of prevention
which We recommend. Therefore. I say
again, education Is a lunuamental ldctoT
in the prevention OF tuberculosis.
That positive and encouraging results
have been obtained by our past efforts
to limit the ravages of this infectious
disease is shown by the statistics OF
many of our large cities in various parts
Of the country. In the city of Washing
ton the mortality during the five-year
periods from 1881 to 1885 was 29S.9 per
10000 of population among whites and
6212 among the colored citizens. There
has been a constant reduction since that
time. and for the five years from 1906 10
1910 the rate per lOO.c0 was for whites
1897 and for colored sos II will be seen
from these figures that the de.Gh rate
among the coIored population is consid-
erably more than three times as great as
among the whites. In my opinion this
difference is largely due to bad housing
conditions and the various depressing in
iuences which are associated with pow
erty and vice.