The New York herald., 1920-01-11
FRAMINGHAM EXPERIMENT
PROVES THAT TUBERCULOSIS
CAN BE TOTALLY WIPED OUT
Dr. Harris A. Houghton Declares That Results of DemonSra
ton Financed by Life Insurance Companies Holds
Out Hope for It's Speedy Eradication.

be practical means for discovering unrc-
vealed tuberculosis cases. and there was
included in the first drive sickness sur
vey. which has direct bearing on the
hole problem.
For instance. seventy-seven per cent of
the total 4,4I3 were i'll In some degree.
All but fourteen per cent Of these were
Classified us wholly or p-rfi'llly prevent
able. Ninety six cases of pulmonary tu-
berculosis were uncovered In the group.
This Is at the rate of 2.t6 for the total
number examined. Twenty-Five were in
clpient, seventeen were advanced and
tnty-four were in persons who had had
tho disease. either knowingly or unknown.
and in whom it had been arrested This
group also comprised 27s per cent OF all
the Illness discovered a small percentage,
accounted for by the fact that even triv-
al devatiops from health in the surveu
We're regarded MS illness. These medical
examinations discovered ia times as
much illness as the health census, and
rne tries az much tuberculosis The
value of priodic hath examinations was
thus dnonstra ted.
AS the result of this sort OF work the
number of cases of tuberculosis under OBJ
servation on November Is, 1918. totalled
1871. as contrasted with q on January 1.
1917 This apparently large increase was
due to the fact that cases were discovered
early and persuaded to accept treatment
Others not counted in this total had moved
away and We're being treated by other
means not under the control of the au-
thorities, and this number also does not
include sizeable number Of Suspicious"
cases in whom tuberculosis had not been
demonstrated
Now, here is the practical result of the
work at the close of the second year
During the preceding decade the tuber-
culOnS death g
1917 ii was SO per 100, 0C0 For 1915 the indi-
cations are that the rate will be approx
mately "A per 100000" And the Indications
are also that as the plan is continued the
rate or fall In the death rate will acceleT-
ate, because centres of infections will be
gradually reduced. and due TO the special
framing OF the city physicians and to
alteration IN the habit of the people to
meet the new system of sickness preven-
tioh cases will be discovered early and
cures effected
Disease Can he Controlled.
Furthermore. "Framingham is typical
iiuustrlaI american community. and on
the basis OF past mortality and morbidity
records, Is affected with, If anything. less
tuberculosis than would be representative
or the registration area as a whole On
the other hand, the disease exists to a
much greater degree than has hitherto
been supposed, and can be discovered and
brought under control if an intensive
seer Is made for it," In other words,
peci cannot afford to wait for telltale
symptoms TO develop. for then ii is too late.
Volumes might be written on the Franz
.ngham demonstration, which is the only
thing IL its kind that has ever been at
tempted on large scale. 1t shows cor
clusvely that tuberculosis Is much
bigger problem than has hitherto been sup
posed. but better than that it also shows
that 1t Is problem which has a practical
answer, and that tuberculosis can be wiped
out The methods used blaze the trail for
work elsewhere along the same line. Edu-
cation and moral suasion may not he the
easiest method by which dependency from
illness is relieved most promptly, but IL Is
certain ard effectual in tho end, and finally
affects not only tho tuberculosis death
rate, but the illness rate, and in addition
is a method which is applicable to the
whole community and not to any particular
class.