Little Falls herald., 1914-11-27

disease. From personal experience In
Arizona I found that the doctors al
most never told patients to 90 into a
grouping or sanatorium. In fact, they
advised the reverse. More often resi-
dence with a private family was ad-
vised. I often then wondered If such
physician had any common sense idea
of where the logic Of his advice would
lead him. If he believed that the dis
ease was communicable he was simply
adopting the best method Of spreading
it. If he did not, why did he give
such advice?' ~-
- The medical head of this particular
insane hospital has decided views
concerning too strict quarantine for
those with a suspicion Of tuberculUsis
or even patients known to be slightly
affected, and these views are shared
in to considerable extent by the
medical staffs of the ether state hos
pitals and institutions. As to com
municability majority Of them are
in a measure agreed that it is to a
large extent exaggerated as to inci-
pient cases. Aloofness and quarantine
they say often cause the most Intense
mental suffering and consequently ag-
gravate instead Of help.
While all these views as advanced
are interesting and en1ightening, both
the board Of control and the several
medical stats are alive to the danger
Of this dread disease and the necessity
for its control. A constant watch is
kept for its appearance, tests are
made frequently and isolation ordered
when it is considered that the cOndi-
tion of the patient demands it. The
very sick have special wards and
rooms and the nursing and diet in
their case are of a specific character.
This special diet, which consists laroe-
~ Of eggs and milk and other strength
building foods, even extends to the in
eipient eases.
-Ferreting out those tubercularily
affected or even with suspicion Of
the disease and their treatment, ac.
cording to the hospital officials, is not
the easy matter that some would have
1t. It is quite complicated. In some
OF the tnbercular wards Of the insane
hospitals are patients who have been
there for years and yet they do not
seem to be actively sick in any way.
Still they showed proof of tubercular
tendencies and were sent there under
the prevailing opinion that their pres
ence in the main institution would
endanger the Others.
Daily proofs of the presence of the
disease are brought to the attention
of the institution authorities, but it is
not always possib1a or advisable to
rush such supposedly affected persons
into quarantine. Sometimes the facil.
tiles Of the tnbercular department
will not permit it and again such ac-
tion would only tend to irritate the
patient and make him worse. Often
those who answer to the tests made
and give evidences Of the disease rally
to fair state of health in a few
weeks and maintain the same for
years or for the rest Of their lives
Wards of the state whose care, sup
port and health are entrusted to the
state board of control number very
nearly 10000. According 10 statistics
nearly one-tenth Of the human race
die OF tnbercular diseases yet the per-
centage is not any way near that fig
ure as far as the population Of the
state institutions is concerned. The
active and advanced cases are ouite
numerous while those under suspicion
are not sufficient in numbers or con
diti0n to constitute menace.
1t was honed that the state board
of health would cooperate with the
state board Of control in +horonch
Investigation Of the medical era snri-
tation features Of the severe, s.etn in
situations, especially in the matter Of
so-called communicable diseases. The
idea was to- draft uniform rules aad
regu!a tions for the control and care