The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1916-08-09
CONQUERED White PLAGUE.
DIR. TALCOTT WILLIAMS TELLS
DRAMATIC STORY OF FIGHT
AGAINST CONSUMPTION.
Deaths I'm South CarOlina-Statistics
Showing Dreadful Toll Exacted by
Tuberculosis in This State.

Tuberculosis in This State.
Columbia, Aug. "a man who has
had practical experience in the fight
against tuberculosis necessarily speaks
with feeling. At the recent meeting Of
the State Press Association held in
York, when the Association obli-
gated itself to cooperate with the
State board of health, in it's crusade
against tuberculosis, Dr. Talcott Will
liams made a dramatic statement In
urging the importance of the work
DR.. Williams stated that when he was
a young man he Wa told by his ply
sician that he had Six months longer
} to live and that hc WIS to be added
to the number of those who died from
tuberculosis. DR.. Williams Cid not
give up, fought the plague, won out
and has since then devoted himself to
the intelligent fight against tuberculo-
. sis. He is today vigorous man and
ceptional work as the head of Pulitz-
or School of Journalism, at the Co.
lumbia University.
In connection with the fight that
the State board Of health is making
. against tuberculosis. in this State, DIR.
Williams has sent the press this state
. ment:
If South Carolina once in ten
years, could pass a year without q
death within it's borders. the world
would worship this miracle of vital ef-
ficiency.
mo sacrifice would be too great
to secure q rounded year in which
no family mourned, and no grave was
. dug in the State. No cost would be
too large. No appropriation asked to
secure this would seem too lavish.
Tuberculosis adds year every ten
years to the deaths of a decennium.
"In the nine months from January
to October: 81, 1915, the returns pub
lished in the last report of the health
department. the deaths for ten months
were 20,704. or these 1875 We're from
: tuberculosis. Add those apparent In
the given list of deaths from disease
so related to tuberculosis that they
plainly spring from 1t. and one-tenth
OF the deaths are due to the white
plague. -
TN every ten years. year of the
deaths are due to tuberculosis. Abolish,
this cause Of death. and the same re-
: suit would be secured as would come
from having a year pass in the grea
State of South Carolina without q
death.
"A year without a death, without
sorrow, without a home of mourning
without Carolinian Rachel mourning
for her children, no child weeping fol
a parent or O. parent for a child.
This can be done. 1t has been
proved. All lands and States. thirty
: years ago paid this dread toll of a
tithe yearly to tuberculosis. AS in
South Carolina. one death in ten, one
! funeral in ten, one grave in ten was
due to this disease. This was the rule
In some States. this has been reduce
one-quarter. In few it has been cut
in One-half. In another generation, in.
stead of one death in ten as now
there will be but one in a hundred.
South Carolina has never really
entered this fight until now. The tu.
berculosis sanatorium is the first step
: an appropriation Of $4,000. How lit
tie this is against the leading pre-.
ventable cause Of death. The Rich
land county fresh air camp is another
Each county needs one.
South Carolina has at least 5000
persons smitten with this disease. OF
these 1000 are within year OF
death. Look around you at church.
! one in fifteen or twenty will die Of tu-
bcrculOsis. all preventable. In q col
ored church one in eight to twelve
are to die. Look in q crowded street
} and realize all that are to die Of this
malady-all preventable.
South Carolina faces difficulties in
this fight, large colored population.
ignorance. illiteracy. widespread pre-.
vcntable diseases like hook k-worm end
malaria which weaken and open the
path to tuberculosis. There be heavy
odds.