Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1915-02-10
HE TUBERCULOSIS. QUESTION
Or. HiIl's Fourth Letter.

lTHE TUBERCULOSIS. QUESTION
Or. HiIPs Fourth Letter.
DR.. Christian Johnson explains in
his last letter that he feels it is "his
duty to put the people Of this county
on to a few things on tuberculosis"
DR.. Christian Johnson has put the
people on to quite a number of
things; they are we'll worth review
ing, and comparing with each other.
] have gathered them into groups;
and arranged thus, we find DR.. John
son says:
/. That the chief, almost sole cause
of tuberculosis is poverty; that it ex-
lists (nevertheless?) in every pal
ace(D; that the real trouble in Min
nesota is too much money(D; and fin
ally that abolishing tuberculosis de-
ponds on abolishing poverty-hence
lawait that golden age; and meantime
do nothing.
g. That the chief, almost sole cause
of tuberculosis is hereditary predis-
position; that those of good stock,
rich or poor, need not fear it; that
if you erich or poor) contract the dis
ease you must have been of poor
stock, and finally that abolishing tu-
terculosis depends on voluntary alb
stention from reproduction by those
tainted with hereditary disposition
hence await a general agreement
amongst one-fourth Of the population
to voluntarily obliterate their famil-
les from the earth; and meantime do
nothing.
8. That the chief, almost sole cause
Of tuberculosis is failing to live a san
itary life; that anyone now in the
grip of tuberculosis must Improve
his habits of living" that anyone not
in the grip of it must Improve his
habits of living; that if your habits Of
living are good now you won't get it;
that if you should be so unfortunate"
as to contract the disease despite
Dr. Johnson's assurance that good
habits will protect you'll still all you
have to do is to (still further) "im-
prove your habits Of living"-Hence
await general Improvement in our
habits of living" and meantime do
nothing.
Is not this beautiful advice
Drowning? Just improve your habits
of living; merely breathe air instead
of water!" "Poor? Just improve
your habits of life; merely make more
money than you need!" ''Dying
Merely keep your heart and lungs 60
ing; you will be all right" No one
can deny of course that these pre-
scriptions are all excellent; the only
difficulty is in getting them filled!
4. That Sanatoria cannot help tn
berculosis; that Kandiyohi County
may (nevertheless) some day neet
: oneC); that with 'only" ninetee1
deaths year, she does not need one
now(D; hence wait until the deaths
become-how much doctor, double y
treble? and meantime, do nothing.
S. That state, and county-state in
s situations are enormously wasteful
J. that county sanatoria, cooperative
l. sanatoria and particularly leaving
to the private practising physician arr
a cheaper and better; on account Of thi
r enormous expense ga cents a yea
per family, this "over-wealthy" stat
J. and people will be impoverished
e. hence again do nothing. (Maximun
r. charge in any state or county-stat'
institution for tuberculosis in Mime
e sofa $1,000 per week; minimum
s charge in any private sanatoriun
$500 per week. The Sanatoria al
n include board, lodging, laundry, etc
general medical attendance, nursinI
e and especial treatment Of tuberculc
sis under best hospital conditions
er total cost to taxpayers Of Minnesota
u. "a cents per family, once year. On
h, visit of one private practising phys
r. clan to one patient, medical advic
le only, $500 per patient per visit.)
r. 6. That irresponsible state healt
ly experts (by the way, to whom is tn
private practising physician respor
l. sible?) are allowed TOTO do wha
I'd doctor? to find sixty-six open infe'
J.. tious cases where the physicians IT
Or port twenty-five? But never mind e
It. ficiency; if state experts must do tn
80 work, do nothing.
Z. That there are only six or seve
ed cases of infectious tuberculosis
Kandiyohi County; and that this RET
IN ord shows the practising physical
I'll can handle the situation.
is So DR.. Johnson maintains that the1
pc are only 6 or such cases, despit
the fact that there are ninetee
). deaths a year? Doctor, if there al
az only six cases, and nineteen death
is thirteen people must have died of t
berculosis without being sick first
No? Then there were at least min
IN teen cases instead Of the six you a
st nit? But if there we're only min
N. teen cases and all died, would NJ
that be 100 per cent fatality? Do
even tuberculosis show fatality :
. bad as that? If there were 10 death
must there not have been at lea
4 twice as many cases to give fats
ity of so per cent? Do you not kno
also that there are at least 81 mo-
cases, not yet infectious, but soon
become so, besides the 38 infection
cases? If you do not know this,
you have not studied the rudimen
of public health even so far as
know how to estimate cases fro