Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1914-12-23

binary reader that tuberculosis ex-
perts disagree as to the best way to
combat the disease. T. J. Mayo Of
Philadelphia is quoted thus: HE says
that If one thing stands out more
prominently than another in this
| whole investigation it is the uniform
and overwhelming evidence that the
present prevention crusade is not on
ly failure as prophylactic measure,
but really a provoker Of the disease"
(Journal Of the American Medical AS
ISOLATION, May 9, 1914, Page 1900. DR..
Bang of Silkeborg Sanatorium, Den
he don't know what to say about its |
utility. (Jour. A. M. A. May 9, 1914,
Page 1879. So there you are.
Now DR.. Hill is an able man, an able
campaigner-that is why the tubercu-
losis propagandists of the state got
him back from Ontario-and he knows
as we'll as any the divided opinions
among experts on this question. But
he has got Isolation" on his brain to
the extent that he can see no other
side to the question. And so he &C
cuses us ordinary doctors of doing
nothing because we will not fall in at
once with his fantastic "isolation" pro-
gram.
Permit me to say that whatever
there has been done for tuberculosis
so far has been done by the common
doctor. Right here in Kandiyohi
county are scores Of families with con-
sumptives cured,-or with the loss Of
one member of the family, who came
home to die without impairing the
I health of the other members of the
family under the care Of the local doc
tor. If any "isolation" fanatic wants
proof of this he can come to me and
l will show him. We have again some
families that tuberculosis has almost
exterminated. These latter were no
doubt born with some constitutional
defect or predisposition and no pre-
1 ventive or curative measures could
save them. And so we have still, as
Dr. Hill says, deathrate Of l per
thousand per annum-a lower death
rate, by the way, than anywhere in
the world outside Of Australia. We
regret this deathloss from tubercu-
i losis, and provided DR.. Hill can show
us by any process of reasoning that
! his cure-all of isolation can reduce
\ it we will heartily adopt his plan. Let
us look at his proposition.
DR.. Hill would have this county
~ build and equip with the help of the
Il state an extensive isolation" hospital
!-forcible detention hospital in
which to detain-imprison- open
cases of tuberculosis so as to prevent
them from splitting tubercle bacilla
Inear other people not infected. He
| says there are thirty-eight such cases
in the county. These "thirty-eight'
would have to be hunted up by state
tuberculosis agent backed up by a
state constable, as no local doctor or
:, police officer, who values his reputa-
ton in the community would dare to
act in such a capacity. After these
thirty-e eight we're once behind the bars
there would still be needed guard:
with winchester rifles to keep off fatl
ers and brothers from rescuing their
loved ones from this modern State
v Board of Health bastile.
+ Do you say this is ridiculous? Not
e a bit of it. These modern ultra-scien-
tific theorists will carry out any Of
their pet projects provided the public
will pay the bills. And suppose the
Legislature should be persuaded to Gre
ate machinery to carry out such pro-
gram, would it then actually stamp
out tuberculosis? Let us see.
The immediate effect of tubercu-
= losis hunt by state officials would be
the concealment of the disease. Those
= in the early stages would not even
J. dare to see doctor until urgent symp-
toms appeared-and then it would be
- too late to do anything. The final re-
suit would be that the death rate from
. tuberculosis would increase rather
. than diminish. In other words DR..
:. Hills remedy for tuberculosis would
~, aggravate rather than mitigate the
4 plague.
So I say that there is no particular
>, rush about this sanatorium project
- Let us wait and see how it is wo1 king
out in places where they have already
started to build These counties don't
know yet what they are up against
whether it is a whale or an elephant.
I deprecate this hue and cry about
I tuberculosis, creating this phthisia
S phobia, and unwarranted exaggera'
$ ton of the danger of infection from
g open cases. Why this insane unwar'
t ranted scare? Isn't the naked truth
J. sufficiently bad without exaggerating
Let me quote from an authority that
II neither Dr. Hill nor any other enthus-
l. last will dispute the editor of the
n Journal American Medical Associa-
T. ton on this issue.
l. In the JAM 3rd, 1914 number the
l. editor quotes DR.. F. R. Baldwin OF
l. Saranac Lake, N. Y, as follows:
r. Baldwin says that we are reasonably
r sure of the following: /. Most adults
v have received some tuberculous infec
n ton. 2. From this they have acquir
T. ed variable degree of specific allergy
l. Immunity. 3. During ordinary
re health the tissues repel tubercle ba
IS cilli, partly at least, with aid of this
specific allergy 4. Re-infection OF
r. adults is mostly a superinfection com