Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1916-08-02
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!. WHAT IS TUBERCULOSIS ? j.
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In the body of millions of little rod
shaped germs called "tubercle bacil-
liz because as they multiply they
produce small Jumps Of "tubercles."
The germs are really tiny plant-like
parasites, so small that they must be
magnified hundreds of times under a
powerful microscope before one can
see them at all.
Being parasite, the germ of tu-
berculosis, like the mistletoe or fun
gus growth, must live by taking life
from something else, and on this ac-
count it lives in the body Of human
beings or animals better than any
where else, in the eye, the skin, the
knee or the spine, and most frequent
ly in the lungs, and the other organs
OF breathing.
Outside Of the body, the germs of
tuberculosis may be easily killed, If
they are exposed to direct sunlight
for a few hours. Moist heat at lis
degrees F., boiling water, or strong
alkaline soaps, washing soda aud
similar household cleansing soluti ms
will also kill them. If undisturDed,
tho germs of tuberculosis mag live
outside Of the body in warm, moist,
dark places, such as corners OF rooms
and Railways, for months or even
years.
Because Of the careless habits CT
r2ople who have consumption and
others, the germs of the disease are
everywhere. Every time person
who has the bacilli in his sDutum
spits on the floor, sidewalk or in any
other exposed place, the germs by the
billions may become dry, and when
stirred up by a broom or current Uf
air may be inhaled by the chance
passer. A speck Of dust, such az one
sees in the sunlight, may be the rest
ing place of hundreds Of these tiny
germs. On this account nearly every
body at some time or other breathes
in the living germs of tuberculosis.
Why, then, doesn't every one dlo
of tuberculosis? Because the germs
OF tuberculosis in the body cannot
grow, unles sthey find certain tissues
that are weak, flabby, or, as it Is bet
ter called, "non-resistant" Every
one has a certain normal resistance
to tuberculosis. If this resistance Is
lowered for any reason, the germs,
which are almost always present In
the body, will quickly find some tis-
sue on which they can grow, and thus
the disease is started. 1t takes more
than the presence Of the germ In the
body to cause tuberculosis. 1t needs
also lowered vitality that will give
the germ chance to grow. 1t is like
the seed and the soil. The scaly par
asite that ruins a rose bush fire.
quently comes from poorly nour-
ished soil. The tubercle bacillus is
the seed; the body Is the soil. If
the soil Is allowed to lose its normal
and natural fertility, the seed will
produce disease. If the soil is kept
up to its full strength, this parasite
seed cannot grow, and no tuberculo-
sis will develop.
Once the germs begin to grow in
the body, they produce injury to it in
two ways:
CD They destroy tissues. The de-
structoin in the lung, for example,
may amount to a very small spot, or
it may be large cavity, and not in
frequently an entire lung. The soon
er the disease is discovered, the
smaller will be the amount Of tissue
destroyed, as a general rule
(2) The growing germ, while it
destroys the body tissues upon which
it lives, also produces certain poisons
or toxins, which, in turn, cause most
Of the symptoms of the disease. Thus,
while the germs may be active in the
lungs, the poison which they throw
off goes through the entire system.
The commonest early symptoms Of
consumption are:
CD Persistent cough or cold last
ing a month or longer; (2) Loss of
weight and appetite; (3) Rundown
feeling; (4) Afternoon temperature;
60 Night sweats; and Co Splitting
OF blood Or streaks of blood in the
sputum.
The presence of any of these symp-
toms should lead one to consult a
physician at once. tuberculosis can
be cured If it Is discovered in time.
1t costs little to be examined and