The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-12
CONSUME TON x-RAy
EXPOSES QUAckS

I
iknowiedge Of the condition of tuher-
Z Hulosis patients, particularly in early
stages, made possible by the X-ray.
shows the falHty of the so-caIled
. cures for consumption. like the Fried
! man serum, BY exploding the theories
! on which they are based. DR. IL Ken
! non Durham. OF this city. told the
clinical section Of the. annual meet
'irg Of the National association for
the study and prevention of tuher-
culosis here today.
ON the other hand, DR.. Dunbar m de-
clared. the N-ray picture makes pos
sibtc exact surgical operations in the
chest TO an extent never before real
Lied. and these, by removing the dis
eased tissue. may lead to Il checking
OF the advance OF the disease thereby
fastening recovery.
Al the present time the tubercu-
losis propaganda does not include
protective care for the infants of the
ituberculous, according TO DR.. Alfred
f. Hess. OF New York.
"A tuherculouS mother" he said.
/ gives birth TO normal healthy
baby and promptly within the next
few months. infects il with tuber-
culosis. so that its chances of reach
ling the age of childhood are slight
IF We are to progress in our fight
against tuberculosis, these Infants
must be looked after. The most prac-
deal way would seem 10 be to re
move them during the first few DAYS
OF life from the source of infection
from contact with their tuberculous
mothers"
DR. Edward Archibald, OF Montreal.
Canada. declared that tuberculosis OF
the bowels generally considered sure
lly fatal. could sometimes be perma =
: nently checked by operation. The
speaker said that in numerous cases
, of infection in a considerable portion
| Of The bowels large sections OF the
intestine had been removed, with per-
! nlancnt relief. He declared that even
in cases of general infection. an oyer
. alton sometimes prolonged life,
though it could not effect a perma-
Inent cure,
The gold cure, once heraided as a
treatment for the drink. habit. is he
ing tested as possible curative
agent for tuberculosis according to
pr lydia NJ De Witt OF the Uni
Iversty of Chicago. According to the
speaker, favorable results ofrm the
use Of various salts of gold have been
reported on several occasions during
the last four years by group of
German investigators.
I Or De Witt. however, does not find
these results conclusive In a series
OF experiments tried by her on guinea
pigs infected with tuberculosis she
found that not only were the pigs not
cured but that those given the gold
cure died earlier than those not SO
treated. She thinks II inadvisa BILE
therefore, TO try this treatment on
human patients until some modiflca-
ton OF the treatment IN discovered
that will do away with it's dangerous
features.
IF tuberculosis is TO be prevented,
every community must know exactly
how many Of its citizens. according
TO standards which the community
. has set lack food clothing shelter.
things which go to make up a normal
and healthful life said Wilbur G.
Phillips secretary OF the National
Social Unit organization.
bad health, disease and proverty
are occasioned by the fact that the
Fundamental needs of people are not
met" he added
"Inasmuch as matters such as the
securing Of clean and wholesome
milk the building and maintenance
fnf sanitary homes the providing of
decent hours and conditions for work
}inrmen etc. 60 back TO rules ordi-
narces laws and governmental ac-
tion the tuberculosis worker cannot
REGARD his prohl@na FROM the merely
view. but is compelled to take an
active interest in political problems
and the efficiency OF governmental
departments.
This is hut another way to saving
tina: complete program to elimi-
! nate tuberculosis must be complete
social prugra5r- conceived in it's
broadest sense a. a program social
economic. industrial. democratic and
govern mental"
That the sey 4ge discharged from
tuberculosis aanatoria need not be-
c0me menace 10 The surrounding
community II II IS properly treated.
was made ayident by DR. 4 r Laird.
superintendent Of the Nopeming San
atpr'nm ~ 50. Louis county. MINI.
so fot as our present knowledge
goes he said. no one method alone
has been demous,r rated to efficiently
remove tho tubercle baciil from sew
age, hui a g rnbination OF methods
appears to do So"