Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1916-08-03
TUBERCULOSIS.


lllOot VII ultlll VI lAASNAoNo Nio~-
: have to cope with and is killing more
of our people today than any other
disease and yet the majority OF peo-
: pie are Indifferent to and treat II
: lightly as a case Of hiccoughs. Ken
lucky leads in the death rate OF the
Union and Christian county has over
$50 Ceases, more than any other coun /.
ty in Kentucky asd yet no steps are
: taken 10 stamp out this terrible great
white plague. With cooperation OF
everyone working earnestly and
faithfully in eliminating it, this could
! be accomplished in ten years as atfec-
tually as typhoid fever or any other
infectious or contagious disease. On
the other hand it is my candid belief
that sound person perfectly free
| from contamination will not be found
| in the county in the same length of
time. This disease has been running
unrestrained since time immemoral
land little wonder that il has gained
such a strong hold upon us. What
steps will be taken to check this dis
ease? You will be given an oppor-
tunity soon to decide. Join the Chris
tan County Public Health and Wei
fare Club and pay your dues at one
dollar a year and help in the noblest
cause that was ever undertaken in
your state. Plans have been formu-
lated By the state commissioners to
divide the state into nine sections and
establish a large hospital well equipp-
ed for caring for these patients to
section of Is counties each. Organize
Public Health and Welfare Leagues
in every county in the state and to-
gether with the tax rated by the fiscal
courts for each individual county we
would soon be able to begin work on
an immense hospital. Who wouldn't
be willing to protect himself and his
family against this most loathsome
disease? We would rigidly quaran-
tine a case of leprosy yet we don't
pay any attention to tuberculosis and
il is to my mind and the medical and
nursing profession thousand times
more infectious than leprosy.
Everyone has his niche to fill in
this campaign against tuberculosis and
il will be your Christian duty to APP
point yourself as a committee of one
TO investigate and report any case OF
tuberculosis that is known to exist in
any locality to this League. You have
[; the power by law TO do this. This in
the spirit of brotherly love to take
the same interest in your neighbor as
you would in your own family as re-
CARDS their welfare and the public at
/ large. would that had the power
to portray to your mind as wildly as
il appears to mine the unutteraHble dis
tress these poor unfortunate victims
are in. This thing has grown colos-
sal in its magnitude, and has got to be
fought by the masses if ever eradi-
Gated. We have already number of
memberships due before the League
is organized and we want every self
respecting citizen in the country 10
Join. On the 18th of August this
i League will be perfected at mass
meeting at the Union Tabernacle,
f Hopkinsville.
o tuberculosis is already preventa-
e BILE disease. The sputum of a patient
r is laden with the germs and so long
: as we allow our INDECENT people to
reside in houses unscreened with a
\ patient in their home, we are going
4 TO reap a harvest in that locality.
: Every case is a menace to the neigh
borhood where it exists, the germs
being carried by flies, sputum having
dried floats in the air. Even the most
, intelligent do not always know how TO
cope with tuberculosis. While it has
been known that case has been af-
Aicted and died in their home without
infection some member of that family
it is next to the impossible especially
where there are children. Little chill
dren are more susceptible TO this raw
/ aging disease and the best advice |
could give to mothers is to keep chill
dren away from anyone suffering
from this horrible plague. ! have
seen mothers carrying infants around
the bed of tuberculosis patient.