Okolona messenger., 1914-11-26
How a Community Can Fight
Tuberculosis

tuberculosis conditions. Each
city in the county, and each
county in the State must study
its local conditions in order to
assure the best results before
putting into practice the plan Of
work which is respectfully sug-
gested by the Mississippi Anti
tuberculosis Campaign Com
mittee as the most practical
plan of work. The Mississippi
Anti tuberculosis Committee
works under the auspices of the
National Association for the
Study and Prevention of Tuber-
culosis, andis following, as close
ly as possible, the generel plan
of work which that body, made
up as it is of the most expert
knowledge in the country, has
found to bring about the most
far-reaching and satisfactory
results.
After a three years study of
the general conditions in the
State the Mississippi Anti
tuberculosis Committee suggests
the following plan of work to be
put into practice in various
communities with due regard to
local conditions.
At present there is no State
law providing for the establish
ing and maintenance of Tuber-
culosis Hospitals in the various
counties of the State. There
fore, each town must meet and
settle its own tuberculosis prob
lens. The simplest and most
effective way to do this is the
establishing of a Free Dispensary
with a visiting trained muse who
shallvisit the homes of patients
and teach them how to live in
order to be cured and how to
prevent contagion to others.
The nurse will discover incipient
and latent cases and in this way
prevent untold later misery.
This dispensary with visiting
nurses can be maintained
approximately at one hundred
dollas per month. The amount
could be obtained partially from
the city funds, and partially
from various Brotherhoods,
Clubs, and other organizations,
or by individual donations.
1t would be advisable to obtain
| funds, or the positive promise of
fund, for at least a year before
establishing the dispensary with
nurse; but in the event this is
impossible it would be we'll to
/ establish the dispensary with
nurse for a shorter length of
time in order to prove its actual
t worth to a community.
If any single town is too small
, for the maintenance of a free
dispensary with a visiting nurse,
then two or more neighboring
( towns may share the service and
, thus share the expense of a
nurse.
Practical experience is always
invaluable; therefore, we suggest
: that a nurse who has had such
experience be obtained. A letter
to Miss Jean Gordon, Settlement
e School in New Orleans, or else
to Miss Jane Adams, Hull House
Chicago, would secure a capable
nurse.
In dealing with the tuberculo
t sis problem it must be KEEP
always in mind that the problem
is not only local, but is statewide
h and national. The treatment o
isolated cases of tuberculosis il
IS humane to the one person con
cerned, but it is not hamane in
big sense, to the community a
:, large. Granted that one case j
cured, neither is the patien
+ immune, nor is his family nor an,
y member of the community pro
y tected against contagion from th'
hundreds other of cases, latent
" incipient and active that exis
in the community. Your cit.
is not safe from contagion unit
!, every case of consumption in tn
n city has been discoyed an
treated. The county in whic
YOUR city is situated is not saf
from c)atagioa until every con
sumptive in the county has bee