The Redwood gazette., 1919-10-29

malaria or yellow fever. Typhoid
fever has been almost abolished by the
proper construction and supervision
of city water supplies and sewerage
systems.
To prevent the spread of tuberculosis
does not require any great and cost
ly engineering feats, as draining
swamps or rebuilding city water sup
plies of the nation, but SIMPLY the
control of the patients sputum. This
should be an easy thing. OF course
whole city cannot be rendered safe
by one stroke as in the case of typhoid,
but every case must be handled ir en-
individual way
The cause of tuberculosis is the tub
ercle bocillas, little rod-shaped or
ganism of vegetable life. It's minute
size you can imagine when ] tell you
that patient with severe case can
spit UP as many as billion &C these
little germs in one day, and particle
of sputum no larger than the head OF
pin may contain thousands OF them.
tuberculosis bacilli have beer found
alive in dried sputum after 18c days.
The danger zone on coughing or
sneezing is from 10 to 20 yards around
a T. B. patient and at each coF,;h or
sneeze thousands of these germs are
sprayed into the air But the great-
est danger is from dried sputum that
is on dust, the patient hands, fucnl
tufe, door knobs, handkerchiefs or
any article the patient may infect that
is handled by others.
Sick people are an expense to The
state whether the expense is borne by
the individual or by the state. Death
from T. B. occurs most often between
the ages of 18 and 35; 80 per cent Of
all deaths between the ages of rs and
35 are due to consumption. Every
third death during the working period
of life is due to consumption; so per
cent of all work men incapacitated
for work is due to T. B. Death from
II Ncuts off years of life, seventeen
of which are in the working period,
the most productive period of lie.
1t is estimated by the State Board of
Health of Illinois that the loss in
money invested in raising children
who die of consumption before they are
20 years of age amounts in the state
alone to 81, 1,187, 800 each year. A I'd
in the same, state the loss from inabi
lity to perform labor on the part of
those sick with consumption amounts
to $30,OOOOO' annually, and the cost of
the care of those sick from consurlp
tion amounts to 1925, 900 each year in
that state.
In Minnesota last year there were
2430 deaths from consumption; yalE-
ing a human life at $4,000, this means
an actual loss to this state of 81 / ,l5O.-
900 each year There are today Fl 900
active cases of T. B. that have been
reported in this state. Figuring their
wages as worth $40 per week or $1,000
per year, we are losing in wages $21.-
100000 each year from these active
cases. Add. to this the expense of
taking care of these Il 900 cases, sucn
as physicians and nurses fees. drugs
etc.-there is another $5,000.000
During the first six months of this
year one fifth Of the total deaths in
this state were caused by T. B. despite
the epidemic of influenza which rag
ed during the early months severe
as was this epidemic influenza caus-
ed only twice as many deaths as con-
sumption, and these deatfs are with
us every year. 400 families are made
to mourn each day in the United States
by the death of some member from
T. B 400 each day or total of 80 900
deaths each year in this nation and
remember the victims die during the
active working age, the period of
greatest usefulness to the state.
Z. B. costs the American Life In
surance Companys $50,0C0000 each |
year. During the four years of our
civil war 2O5.O00 soldiers we're killed.
During the four years from 1904 to
1907 consumption killed 100000 or
three times as many in the same per
iod Of time. The United States now
has population of 100 million peo-
pie, 10 per cent or 10 million Of US are
destined at our present rate, to die Of
consumption.
With tuberculosis il is not only pos
sible to bring the disease under con-
troll but it is also possible to extermjn-
ate it. And the task will be accom-
plished chiefly through isolation of
the open cases or infectious cases,
those having germs IN the sputum
The closed or healed case are OF nc
danger to the public.
The most frequent place cf Infection
= undoubtedly the home Of the adj
vanced consumptive Consumption IS