Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-03-26

lature some well defined plans fol
CARRYING on this work with greater eill'
! cheney, Our state is so large that this
| work must necessarily be done in 3
number Of places. In fact, the work
must be carried to the homes of tht
people. By showing them how to take
care of their health, and especially how
To treat persons when first affected
with this disease in order to secure
their permanent recovery
Now then the table of statistics fur
Their presented by our State shows that
the mortality among the young. at the
time when the life of the chids is OF
the greatest Importance to the State
has been great and is increasing. on
Page 1875 of our reports it is shown that
the largest number of deaths occur be-
| tween the ages OF nine and 10 years
| Seventy-one per cent. died at those
lagos, when their death entailed the
| greatest loss to the State. From the
| experience of the other states which
| have adopted this method of treat
| ment at present. and from the figures
| showing conclusively what rate could
| he used for the people. and the
amounts asked for continually increas-
| ing as this year,-$106,0 goo these people
| come here and ask for.-with our
| population in our state where in the
same proportion as Massachusetts and
| the other states one would he suffi-
| cient. at Il cost not to exceed 500, 1000
| that is what they have done it seems
| it Is going to be for the best interests
| of the State. for the common people of
| the State, for the people who are suf-
| fering from the disease and who have
| not the money to so to these inSti-
| tutons where they must receive ac-
| cording tn their method of running a
large amount-they think it is
at the cost price-they have difficulty
| in reducing the price-that it is due
the State to protect the lives of its
| citizens, and by stamping out the dis
ease and further reducing it to make
a direct asset to the State of Maine
That is on the business part Of the
proposition.
And what shall we say when il
| touches the humanitarian side? Why
there is not gentleman here but
| that would do everything in his own
power to stop this disease. Every one
in his own home, in his own COM
munity, knows here and there of 4
person dying around them, living as
they are obliged To do in their homes,
where the others suffer from the con-
tagon, impossible to get living for
their families and give the proper
care to their children who are suf-
fering and dying And in our State.
with its magnificent resources, coming
as it can clearly within a tax rate
that will be detailed further by gen
tlemen we'll in a position to know. to
start out and give 100000 and ap-
propriate it for the cause of human
ity, where it will do more good in the
saving of lives than anything that
could be done by the Legislature, on
this unanimous report of the commit
tee carefully considered from every
standpoint. knowing that We can af-
ford it as We can conelusively show,
every man will think he has done his
duty by his State and by those poor
people from one end to the other that
look for relief to this Legislature, and
every taxpayer in the State of Maine
will say it was the best thing that
has been done for many years for the
people of Maine. eff
| hope that this measure will re-
ceive a passage. | think, as Tar as J
am personally concerned. that it is an
Act that will do moresq for the poor
suffering people of our State than
anything that we can do, and / knew
it will be shown to this Senate that 1t
can we'll afford it within the finances
of the State.
Mr.. MOULTON of Cumberland: Mr..
President. what | wanted to say was
in regard to the hearing before the
committee. This proposed legislation
came into the committee asking for
500, 00O for a tuberculosis hospital.
The committee advertised the hear
ing, and at that hearing there We're
somewhere about thirty people who
appeared for the bill, and not single
person appeared in opposition.
And another thing. that We can say
for this bill-that the State at the
present time is appropriating much
more money, and during the last ten
years it has appropriated somethin9
over $500, 900 for stamping out tuber-
culosis both among our domestic an
imals and for the human race-Sooo,-
600 during the last ten years. Aho
during the last ten years the oeath
rate from tuberculosis in the state oil
Maine has not decreased one particle
any more than it would naturally de
crease from the general education ina
has been going on through the Boare
of Health and the different medical
societies. The death rate was higher
this last year from tuberculosis IN the
State of Maine than it was two years
ago, about , per cent. higher.
Furthermore there are IN the state
sanitoriums for the treatment OF tubef-
culosis, but all those sanitoriums are
for cases that are durable. There is not
a place in the State that takes care OF
those people that have advanced cases
of tuberculosis. 1t is those cases that
become infectious. The State has been
appropriating money to take care OF
the cases that are incipient, and mas
not accomplished anything. Is il not
time to turn around and appropriate
money to take care of these advanced
cases which are the most dangerous ana
are the cause of any of the lncipient
cases? 1t seems to me there should be
,,lace S11pplied nv the state where