The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-02-19
Mrs. Linton Believes Physi-
clans Would Gladly Devote
Time to Effort to Stamp
Out Disease.
CITY NEEDS RELIEF
Friend of Sick and Poor
Places Health Measures
Before Extensive Program
of Street Improvement.

Mrs. Florence Linton, or Miss Ben
ner as she is better known, city visit
ing nurse, is not particularly interest
ed in the pretentious program for civic
betterments in Richmond, which calls
for more brick street, more sewers
and similar improvements.
She is vastly interested, however,
in something she regards more import
ant; more vitally necessary to Rich
mond than ten thousand miles of brick
streets and sewers. 1t is the protect
ion of the citizens from the most sim
lister and deal of all evils-tubercu-
losis.
Sixteen of my patients died last
year, ten of them from tuberculosis,
and for every death from that disease
seven people have been infected by it's
germs. What do the people of Rich
mond think of that?" says Mrs. Linton
Asks Comprehensive Plan.
1T has been suggested that a COM
prehensive system of home treatment
for tubercular cases be established in
this city l can tell you 1t would do
more good than ten county tubercu-
losis hospitals and its establishment
would be the greatest one thing this
city could do
Mrs. Linton's work takes her daily
to the homes of hundreds of poor
people and she knows better than any
other person in the city what an men,
ace the white plague is to Richmond.
She says that to combat the disease
effectively no large sum of money
would be required. "a special physic-
ian would not even be necessary. Just
another nurse to work with me, and
nurse to work among the school child
| rem will accomplish wonders" declar-
ed this capable, tireless crusader
against disease.
" would also advise in inaugurating
plan for home treatment Of tubercu-
losis a free clinic where the poor of
rious Ills" she said II think Rich
mond's many physicians and dentists
would be glad to cooperate in estab-
fishing such a clinic. I think nearly
all of them could be depended upon to
devote one day to this work every six
weeks. To this clinic the city and
school nurses could send their pa
tients in need of medical attention.
Outlines Clinic Work.
"One day each week would be de-
voted to the tubercular cases, one day
to eye cases, one day to children's
diseases, one day to baby cases, and
so on. There are SO many babies
among the poor that could be benefit
ed by treatment at clinics, so many
school children made healthy and ro-
bust. To guard against fraud, CT
course, only patients sent by the city
and school nurses would receive at
tention at the clinic, and l believe a
clinic could be equipped for less than
five hundred dollars.
GAS DR.. Stevenson has said school
nurse is most important. tuberculosis
thrives upon children. With a COM
petent school nurse there is no telling
how many incipient cases of this dis
ease could be stamped out by the in
structions given parents of the chill
dren by the nurse. She could also
nip in the bud countless numbers of
epidemics.'
Mrs. Linton says that the trouble
with county tuberculosis hospitals is
that so few patients can be prevailed
upon to go to them. ''The patients
want to stay at their homes, and by
expert supervision Of visiting nurses
they can be splendidly cared for at
their homes, and the members of their
families protected from infection at
the same time. Medicine does them
little good. The big thing is to teach
the patients and the members of their
families the value of fresh air, whole
some diet, exercise and cleanliness"