The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1913-04-17
MUST TAKE CARE or PATIENTS
Secretary of State Board of Health De-
clares That Only Safe Plan for Cit
les is to Provide Hospital for Care of
Patients with Contagious Diseases.

On account of the discussion in Kes
nosha at the present time of the de-
mand for an isolation hospital to take
care Of people suffering from contagi-
Gus diseases, statement sent out by
G. A. Harper, secretary of the Wiscon-
sin Board of Health, will be of special
interest In this statement he says:
I'm the larger centers of popula-
tion, such as cities where there are in
dustrial centers, and where a certain
portion of the population live under
conditions of congestion in tenement
districts, hospital where persons i'll
with communicable diseases may be is
olated is an urgent need. Proper isp-
lation of the sick cannot be maintain
ed in many homes in the congested dis
tricts, and every case Of communlca-
Bile disease in these homes is a source
of infection which may give rise to
new cases, either by direct contact be-
tween the sick and the well, or by
some infected person, e. G., healthy car
riers, or things acting as intermedi-
aries When needy persons i'll with a
communicable disease are cared for at
home where living conditions are I'M
favorable, it usually happens that some
other members of the family contract
the disease. The removal Of such
patients to a hospital, therefore, and
the proper isolation of the patients,
would not only diminish the number
Of cases Of communicable diseases, but
would also result in an economic saw
ing to the community, since, by the
removal Of the sick ones from the
homes, the wage earners gain their
freedom to pursue their occupations
and the school children are allowed to
continue attending school. The loss of
school attendance by healthy children
in consequence Of the occurrence of a
communicable disease is considerable
In one tenement house, for instance,
where there are many school children,
case Of diphtheria occurred. All the
children in the tenement were exclud-
ed from school, and in consequence
thereof the total loss of schooling
amounted to ffty-two weeks.
" In certain manufacturing com
munities the death rate from tuber.
culosis is larger than that which oc-
ours in. a community with approx
mately the same number of inhabi-
tants where the people are more of
the residential type. The former place,
in other words, is one which should be
equipped with hospital for the care
of persons i'll with communicable dis
eases, whereas the necessity of such a
hospital in the latter place is not SO
apparent. Before requesting cities to
establish and constantly maintain an
isolation hospital of their own, it is
necessary to make preliminary sur
vey of all of the communities in the
state to determine their various needs,
In order that the request of the state
board of health may be reasonable and
warrant the expense which will neces-
sarily be involved in the establishment
of such hospitals Among the facts
which are ascertained are (a) the pre-.
valence of communicable diseases in a
community; (b) the number of cases
annually reported; (e) the frequency
Of unreported cases approximately
stated; (d) the number Of deaths, es.
pecially from tuberculosis; (e) the pro.
portion of patients which cannot be
looked after properly in their own
homes, especially patients i'll with diph-
liberia, scarlet fever and tuberculosis
CD the number of patients for whose
care the city must pay; (g) the mum.
Der of patients who would be likely to
go to a hospital if one were accessible;
(h) whether there are any existing es
Establishments private or public, either
within that community or in neighbour
ing communities, where patients i'll
with communicable disease can be
cared for (i) the difficulties expert
enced in getting patients i'll with tub
erculosis to go to state hospital; anG
CD the number of patients i'll Will
tuberculosis which the community has
to pay for in the state sanatoria. The
financial condition of the community
and other needs, for example, as tt
water supply and sewerage systems
must be taken into consideration il
order that no hardship may result.
SPECIAL NOTICE,
Am prepared to furnish you with al