Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1916-01-21
On, STUNT c6ljiRE
On TUBERCul 0SlS.

Negro Segregation and Educa-
ton Essential To Success
In Campaign.
Richmond, Va, Jan. 20.-Dr.
Stuart Mcguire, member of the
State Board of Health, when in
|terviewed made the following
statement with regard to the Re-
port submitted to the General
Assembly by the Tuberculosis
Commission appointed by the
Governor.
From the report it will be seen
THAT there are 20, 900 tuberculosis
patients in Virginia. that 5000
people contract the disease each
year and that 3,727 died from it
during the last twelve months.
In other words, tuberculosis kills
twice as many people as typhoid
fever, smallpox, measles, scarlet
fever. dyphtheria, whooping
cough and malaria combined.
In considering this terrible
loss of life it must also be re-
membered that death from the
disease is slow and consequent,
it causes suffering, poverty and
crime.
Tuberculosis is a communica-
bic disease and therefore a pre-
ventable one. Familiarity has
bred contempt and long suffering
has led to patient submission.
The public must be educated to
demand the protection on which
the expenditure of a reasonable
amount of money will afford
them.
| The discovery of the presence
of a single leper in Richmond a
few weeks ago caused great ex.
citement and columns were writ.
ten about the case in the local
papers. The patient was at once
isolated and the National Gov.
eminent was appealed to fol
| help. Yet leprosy is not as con.
tagious or as fatal as tubercu.
losis.
! l am especially glad of the
stress the Commission has put
upon the problem of the negro,
| The report shows that there are
more negro than white patients
with tuberculosis in the State
While tuberculosis kills one out
of every $50 whites who die il
kills one out of every $40 blacks
And except in the case of the
crazy or criminal negro nothing
is done for them. The crazy and
criminal are treated in the asylum
and at the State Farm, but the
others are left to fight their bat.
tie unaided.
/ We might spend thousands
upon education of the white race,
aud IN building sanatoriums fol
their care, and be no nearer the
end of the problem as long is the
negro consumptive is neither edu.
cated nor segregated. The ne
gro lives with US, in our homes,
cooks our meals. cleans our rooms,
nurses our children, washes our
clothes and is in close relation
to us in every aspect of our do
nestic life. His disease is a d.
rect ruenace to us and to our peo-
lple. His proper education and
care is essential to our safety.
Not only justice and humanity
demand we should care for him.
but self-preservation as we'll.
The Tuberc ulosis Commission in
reaching the conclusion that
proper care of the negro was
fundamental to success in ham
ding thu problem of prevention
agrees with all other authorities
who have studied the question in
the South, therefore its first
Recommendation is that some
provision should be made for his
care. The second recommended
ton is for funds for his educa.
ton"
WHERE TUBERCULOSIS COMES
| FROM.
Where the first tuberculosis
germ came from no one knows.
But it is common knowledge
where the germs come from that
are killing Virgtnian today. 1t
is proved that people do not I'm
herit" tuberculosis. They must
catch" it. The world no longer
doubts that people catch"
things. We now know most of
the methods of contagion and