The Belding banner-news., 1921-11-30
Does 1t Pay?
BY
DR.. @. n. RAM SEY

In. nSt"Ces
The grand ballroom of the Waldorf
Astoria with its gilded chairs, gold
leaf and crimson plush hanging. crowd
ed. not with an aggregation or million
aire amusement seekers, but with
members of the National tuberculosis
Association at their annual meeting!
Near the city of Detroit, new institu-
ton a thoroughly modern freproof
construction, built on a series or wood
ed hills-a million dollar tuberculosis
sanatorium! And throughout Michi-
gan many similar institutions, many
clinics and hundreds OF workers act
iyely engaged in the tuberculosis bat
tie, There are still consumptives.
Most OF us hear about some white
plague victim every day, and, in our
routine existences, we find little evi-
dence that the time and money devot-
ed to tuberculosis work are bringing
desired results.
A study of the tuberculosis death
rate Is the best means OF judging
whether our question deserves an al
firmative reply or not. IL we are saw
ing lives, the campaign is amply Jusu-
fed. Its cost Is overbalanced by saw
ing the state the financial loss incur
red by deaths and the money expended
in the care OF sick and INDECENT
patients.
The active campaign has been going
on id this country for many years and
for a much longer time In England
and Germany. In France there has
been less unified effort. The death
rate from tuberculosis in Paris is
great deal higher than in London or
New York or even Berlin.
During the past few years our own
death rate has dropped amazingly.
Plotted representations OF white plague
victims all show gratifying downhill
curves. The figures in our own state
are most encouraging. From 1906 10
1910, 997 people in every hundred
thousand died from tuberculosis; In
1919, S5.S. The difference, 1873 people,
a goodly number Of mep. women and
children.
Results of the tuberculosis Battle
One family lives in northern PENN
sula lakeshore town. Mr.. Jones, as
we shall call him. was found to be suf-
fering from tuberculosis at clinic
five years ago. He followed recon-
mendations. spent long period at the
state sanatorium, and returned home
cured? Unfortunately not His case
was too far advanced for that. In
stead. he returned with an education.
He learned the rules that keep tuber-
culous people working and prevent
them from spreading the disease to
others. Since his return, he's been
earning money enough to provide Mrs.
Jones and the two Jones youngsters
with a comfortable, green-shingled
bungalow. Mrs. Jones and the chill
dren are free from consumption-Mr
Jones knows this is true because he's
sent them repeatedly to the clinic.
This family and the thousands like
them are, in a great measure, the re-
suits OF the tuberculosis battle. They
are the reasons for the labor anu ex-
pense incident to large gatherings OF
workers, and for the building OF new
institutions. The satisfying downhill
curve explains the patience and hopes
for better things TO come or all the
active fighters in the battle-patience
and hopes in spite of the too frequent
death from consumption OF somebody
we know, and the daily passing in the
street of an obvious lunger.
Does pay? or course it pays. The
death rate figures are answers nc
one can dispute.
The fact to be remembered is that
the battle is far from won. The vic
tory is scarcely in sight. One out oil
every hundred Michigan citizens is a
clinical consumptive. So far the cam
raign has been successful. II has paid
II saving the Jones families is to con
tinue and our grandchildren are to re-
gard tuberculosis as rare disease
the fight must be carried on in the
same energetic manner. Each OF us
must give time and money. and each
of us must remember that organiza
tions and sanatoriums are not any
where nearly as effective tuberculosis
weapons as carefully regulated lives
that pay tireless attention to age old
,,,taa 81 hu1iana aud nxorcicn