Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-04-29
TUBERCULOSIS.

There were more than 10000
deaths last year in the United States
from tuberculosis death every
I'VE minutes. About 100000 Of these
were duo to tuberculosis of the
lungs (consumption) and the remain
der to diseases of other organs.
chiefly the bones. joints, and intes-
tines (surgical tuberculosis). John
Bunyan called tuberculosis the cap
tain of the men Of death" and it
ranked first until a few years ago.
If the death rates Of 1880 prevailed
there would have been 100000 deaths
last year from this disease. But,
although 1t has been reduced to
third place. tuberculosis, like acct
were $4,000 people killed in the
United States last year by burning,
drowning and other external causes.
These lives should have been saved.
So also should a large number of
the 100, 900 victims of the great white
plague. Let US see how 1t could be
done.
Germ Turks I'm Milk.
Deaths due to the bovine tubercle
bacillus. which is an important
tuberculosis. practically all result
from infected milk. That is one rea-
son why 1t is usually children who
are attacked by the bovine variety
These deaths-6.000 to 10000 an
nually in the United States-could
have been prevented If milk only
from tuberculin- tested cows, or else
pasteurized, had been used. A tn
berculous COW may not look sick,
but lives for years unrecognized.
spreading infection. A large, per
centage of the market milk and but
ter Of some cities is infected by such
The human tubercle bacillus is the
cause Of tuberculosis of the lungs
and also affects other organs in both
adults and children. 9 1t is spread
from person to person chiefly by
and sneeze or carried by dust. con-
taminated food -or any object that
Is touched by two persons at differ
emit times. A tuberculous~ person
may not look sick and may live for
years, spreading infection: There
are approximately 100000 people
with active tuberculosis in the United
States and a million others with in
active tuberculosis. 1t Is the most
common Of all serious diseases.
Fatal to Children.
The younger the person the more
likely this disease to be fatal. Tuber-
culosis appearing in q child under two
years of age is almost always fatal.
whether 1t is known as meningitis,
peritonitis or as general tuberculosis,
and whether caused by the bovine or
the human bacillus. Postpone infec-
ton, therefore; avoid 1t as long as
possible. Keep your children seclud-
ed. Keep the known sick separated.
By the age Of twelve practically all
are infected with tuberculosis by the
6-k
shaking and other saliva-trading GUS
toms Of society. But If not infected
too early or too heavily. the infection
does net cause the disease at once. A
person who keeps well fed, well rest
ed and lives properly seldom develops
1t. But when the natural defenses of
tho body have been weakened by the
stress of unwise living or exhausted
by undue fatigue. tuberculosis may
appear many years after the original
infection. In this matter tuberculosis.
like 1eprosy, is quite different from
diphtheria, pneumonia, typhoid and
other acute diseases, which attack the
strong as well as the weak and strike
at once or not at all.
Methods Of Prevention.
How, then, could we have saved
injection? If. when young children,
all had been protected from close as
ISOLATION with consumptives. so that
the infection had been postponed until
late childhood and diluted by pure air
anu ciean surroundings, the disaster
might never have happened. If dur
Ing school age all those children had
ESQ been xept well nourished; If each
had slept nine or ten hours every
night in freely flowing air: IL outdoor
10y had overbalanced indoor drudgery
IL the stress of each critical period OF