The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-03-18

ventive measures on the part OF the
Public generally
While the ideal plan Of campaign
Wculd he the conduct Of such cam
raigns in every community and Coun-
- in the sta te the department, real
tzng that such an effort Ia not now
practicable with the means at its
disposal, will en1eavor to have eff
forts made IN widely separated sec
tors with & view to the influence
SUCH work will have on contiguous
communities The ultimate result
tbs department he lieves should Sc
and will be the establishment Of tu-
herculosts sanatoria to serve every
com munify, IN many cases adjoining
counties uniting in such Humanitarian
enterprises. The report declares that
@acI county and city can. without
especial strain upon its resources,
and = part Of thu ordinary machin-
cry Of Rovernm ont, provide sana-
'orIum for the treatment Of those
suffering from tuberculosis. Once
aroused to the mace sSity for such ac-
tior. It rs believed each community
vii grady undertake to suCcor those
ut It's own people who need treat
rent ana care. For their e9uca-
tio1al V5s--@ and their demonstrated
utility In uncoverinP disease. the de-
partment viii continue such SURVEYS
and clinics as We're held in Norfolk
county TO the limit of it's resources.
Tribute is paid the work done biz
the starf in charge OF Catawba. The
resignation Of DR. John T. Lloyd,
since 1911 re"ident physician at ca.
iawha, to accept similar work at q
considerably larger salary In North
crn institution, is noted with expires
sions Of regret
Tuberculosis Situation.
The report goes 10 the very heart
Of the tuberculosis situation in the
following: We know that we cam
not properly be charged with exag-
geration when we say that the NOR
tal!ty of tuberculosis in say the year
l02i. could be reduced so per cent.
Il during the year 1$17-18 every case
r tuberculosis that developed In
Virginia we're diagnosed In Its incip-
lent stage"
al the years 70 on and the re-
Iorts of this board accumulate, we
,,ote that more and more OF our
snace is given in these reports to
discussion OF tuberculosis This Is
merely a reflection Of the larger part
tuberculosis is having in our plans
=.
ur~-trtake to combat, control or over.
come. We fear little from typhoid
fever, less from dlptheria, and we
can laugh at smallpox But tuber-
culo>is. and as yet infantile PARALYSIS
stand out az two diseases the mere
c0rs Iteration OF which depresses
every health officer called upon tc
com hat them. What can we do?
Thousands upon thousands in Nir-
gilssa- doomed tV death. other thou
sands ignorant OF the fact that their
l:Ves are menacrd and that then
sighting chances are heing reduced
with every tick OF the clock still
other thousa nds being infected. bot
rot dreaming of their condition until
HSmptoms appear, which cannot q
overlooked surely il there ever was
a challenge 10 American science and
american wisdom, tuberculosis offers
ttat challenge It is the Germany
Of the medical world"
a friend OF health work in Vir.
rinia who has spent many years in
end"avoring TO impress upon the peo-
ri" Of the state the necessity for
constructive work for disease pre-
vention on reading the above excerpt
from the report OF the department
said There is but one answer pos
sihIs to the challenge. The intel
ligent and warm hearted people OF
every corr nunity must unite their
best thought and most earnest eff
forts in whole hearted determine
ton to fight disease and in the case
of tuberculosis the result of their
activities should he the early estab-
iishment OF county and city sa'1a-
toria. II il useless TO expect the
state to supply clearly local need,