Elbert County tribune and Elbert County banner., 1920-11-05
MEASURES ARE NEEDED
g. AGAINST TUBERCULOSIS
Secretary of State Health Board Says
Colorado Has About $4,000
j. Active Gases.

The time has come for Colorado TO
take adequate measures to meet and
| control its peculiarly individual prob
| lem ofotuberculosis, according to DIR.
IL. L.. dlrlnkwater, secretary of the
State Board of Health. DR.. Drink
water pointed out the seriousness of
the matter In nn interview recently
when he declared that the latest fig
ures compiled by his board show that
there Were 2,030 deaths from tuhercu-
loss alone in Colorado last year. He
estimates the number of active cases
of Tuberculosis in this state today to
be approximately $1,000 with about
the same number of Inactive cases.
The tuberculosis problem in Colo
RADIO, said Or. Drlnkwater, "has cei-
tam peculiar features distinctly its
own. We know that great many
persons suffering from tuberculosis
come to this state every year becnlsc
Of its wonderful climate and altitude.
Just how many cases from other sec
tons of the country are added to those
developed here we do not know def
nitely, although the Colorado Tuber-
culosis Associations as part of the
splendid work II Is doing, is now max
ing a survey of the INDECENT migra-
tory cases of tuberculosis which have
come within the view of institutions
IN Denver, Colorado Springs and Grand
Junctlon. The result of this survey
VIII give us definite idea of The
number Of persons who come from
other istatese Ia the hope of regaining
-tlssr health and then drift to one OF
these cities,i where eventually tIieIr
FUNDS fail them nnd they tuin to char
table institutions for help
M:eny of these unfortunntes. who
might have been saved If they had
stayed m home and secured admission
to hospital there, come to Colorado
without funds and eke out an exist
ence until n final breakdown compels
lhem 10 come for treatment to some
public institution. Only too often they
are in such n condition that they can
not be returned TO their homes, nor is
there any hope for them when they
are in that stage. There are from
thirty to sixty of such cases In the
Denver County Hospital at all times
| remember that one night when |
happened to he at the County Hos-
pitaL seven Of these unfortunates died
Every one Of these persons who is
nnahle 10 pay for treatment and who
| s avoiding the welfare institutions for
| tcar tlsit he may be sent back to his
nome IN some other state is n source
| Of infection and adds to the Increase
| of the tlisease here. ! believe that II
| Colorado had an adequate system of
reporting these INDECENT, or nearly in
digent cases, and definite. plan of
| returning them to their places of ori-
| gun, the lives of many of them might
| he prolonged and the state saved mt
least S2,000,000 year. A
General education of the public In
| regard to the nature of tuberculosis
| ana the rules of hygienic living where
| ny It's spread may he checked is neces-
| snry. fortunately. there is vigorous.
| effective work done along this line by
| the Colorado tuberculosis Association.
| a private organization of public spIr-
tied men and women, who have been
| educatng people throughout the state
| ny means of public health nursing
service, clinics, school examinations
ana the Introduction of the Modern
Health Crusade into the schools of
/ fifty counties. When the time comes
! that the State Board of Health Is in
n position to take up antl-tuberculosis
work In the way It should, we shall
ne able to give the Colorado Tubercu-
losis Association the co-operatIon If
deserves in its present single-handed
fight against the disease"
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