Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-03-31
FINDS $4,000
SUFFERERS
IN STATE
Expert Declares Every Section Is
Swarming With Unattended
Tuberculosis Victims.

A narrowing story OF primitive con-
ditions in Georgia concerning treat
ment. general knowledge and public
regard Of tuberculosis is contained in
the report, published Tuesday. of the
State investigator for the W. G, Raoul
Foundation, Miss Jessamine Whitney.
Recording the invariable prevalence
of the disease throughout the STATE.
Miss Whitney declares:
The tuberculosis patient is not
getting a square deal anywhere He
is denied admission TO a general hos
pital and there Is no other place pro-
vided for him. The physicians, too,
for the most part do not care 10
treat tuberculosis. and do not wish
such patients to come to their Of
fees. The number Of poor wretches
thus suffering from this most dread
full of all scourges who are in de-
spair. hopeless, bereft Of hospitals
and medical attention in Georgia, at
the present time reaches into the
many thousands.
"On the general basis of calcula-
ton there would be 26,500 cases at
present. This is A conservative esti-
mate; ! presume there are many
more than that. Each of this mum
Der is a center OF infection. daily
menace to his fellow men"
Conditions Bad Here.
Miss Whitney's observations we're
garnered from her visits to typical
sections Of the State. Atlanta was
surveyed in the course Of the tour
and many grewsome pictures Of in
sanitary living quarters of Atlanta's
poorer classes are presented as evil
dence that in the capital city the dis
ease is winked at, as everywhere
u have visited and collected data
from four cities having a population
Of over $4,000 from Ave cities be
tween 10000 and $4,000; from five Of:
population between $500 and 10000
and from three smaller towns. At
the time of the 1910 census the pop
Ulation Of Georgia was over four
fifths rural To get figures concern
ing this very large rural population
three counties we're selected. varying
greatly in topography. occupations
and proportions between the two
races. one in the pine belt, one in
the midst Of the farming country and
one in the mountains. may say
that tuberculosis is as generally scat
tered over the territory covered as II
spread with an Impartial hand In
the sandy lowlands. in the Blue Ridge
country north, south, east, west Il is
exacting its yearly toll releutlessly
have yet to visit a locality where
there have been no cases"
The death rate from tuberculosis IN
the three largest cities visited are
1874 III and 242 to the 100000 o.:
population. Everywhere in the state.
Miss Whitney declares, she encoun-
tered condition Of the darkest ig-
norance concerning the disease be-
cause there is no adequate registra-
ton Of cases or Of deaths. in most
places no registration at all. so that
she was obliged to gather her fix
ures from physicians. undertakers.
sections, and even from a house-to-
house canvass.
Estimate Even Too Low.
II have mentioned the reasons for
incomplete figures she continues, TO
bring out the remarkableness OF the
average estimated rate OF 1902 per
10000 and also to furnish basis
for estimating the probable rate II
We had complete registration II /
should say that obtained two-thrds
Of the deaths in the territory COW
cred. IT would be nearer the true fig
ures, and our death rate would be
go per 100000. which would more
Continued onPssS 10, Column 7.