The Denver Jewish news., 1924-10-23
The Dreaded Tuberculo.
sis Problem
Continued from Page ~

] ~ iH'i"E hs u may be, can not prevent
the tragedy of a relapse.
That such are the facts. is evil
dcnced by the great number Of read
missions, Accepting the lowest pos
sihle figure Of two dollars day to
/ maintain patient, an annual expendi-
I ture of $4,000 is incurred for each
patient If such patient returns in
very short time from the sccthlng
cauldron considerably injured to re-
sume all over again the cure for an
other year or longer, the financial loss
TO the organization is quite Obvious
Post sanatorium care has thus he
come In recent years an important is
sue. Farm colonies. medically super
vised shops with liberties to work as
many hours as the physical condition
warrants, and similar enterprises have
proven only partly successful. Agri-
culture Is too ardous an occupation and
the factory establishments, unless sub
sidized, are not self-supporting Be
sides, it has been found that it does
not matter as much how long and what
the character of the work Is as how
the time is utilized when not at work
overplay has been found as harmful
if not more so than work. The pop
ular adage that one cannot burn the
candle from both ends with impunity
is truly applicable TO the recovered
/ tuberculous.
Some years ago the Jewish Con-
sumptivoS Relief Society attempted to
partially solve the problem by estab-
fishing the Rude Conyalescent Home
II was thought, and justly so. that the
jolt from sanatorium life will all the
comforts to the prosaic life with its
numerous deprivations is responsible
for early relapses. 1t soon became evil
dent, however, that the term con-
valescence is necessary, the place for
such an effort is in a sanatorium,
where work, even for an hour or two
day, if physically permissible, must
as any other potent remedy. To have
n group of people up and about free
from duties incident TO systematic cur
ing, and not engaged in any purpCscful
or profitable work, is a disaster. II is
matter of common knowledge that idle
ness carrodes both mind and body.
For those who have reacted Il work
ing capacity Of one or more hours daily,
the sanatOrium has established voca
tional training Glasses in English,
stenography, bookkeeping etc. are main
tanned during the winter months. The
most successful department is the
bookbindery in which - patients are
now working from two to four hours
daily. The So-called cCnvalescent pa
/ tient is thus gradually w1aned away
from complete inactivity to increasing
physical effort, hut he still remains q
substandard individual. When he ven
lures out for himself, he is sorcly in
need of financial and medical assistance
for at least two years, or until such
/ time as rigid tests of hard and tried
life have proven that the danger of re-
lapses is over.
/ Experience has shown that the first
two years after leaving the sanator
/ ium are the mGst critical as regards
relapSes To tide over that critical pc
riod the large army of patients leaving
Jewish institutions and remaining in
Denver. or those coming TO Denver to
make their permanent residence,
group of phianthropic men have re
opened the Rude Home as the first
medically supervised boarding house in
the country. II is open to all eN-pu-
tientS who are working Room and
board is furnished for n dollar day.
! The environment is that of private
home and the surroundings are most
ideal, The medical supervision is in
charge Of the j. G. r. $. staff of ply
| Sicians. There are certain elementary
rules Of health which each guest has
u carry out.
Such an establishment. il is hoped
will serve the great purpose of con
/ structive rehabilitation The financial
burden is greatly minimlzed The fear
Of unemployment will in time become
eliminated, rs anyone without job
and unable 10 find one, will he assign
ed to full time work in the Sauatorium
Bookbindcry, or the printing shop which
will soon be established. Above all,
the guest finds himself in an atmos-
/ phere where tuberculosis IS no dis
grace. He is surrounded by Il group Of
sympathetic friends. all engaged in the
I same luudible enterprise Of fully re
gaining health. At the same time, a
bar against ovcrplay is placed in a
such Il manner rs to make it n habit.
The whole family retircs at . 7. NJ. OK
/ rcptng once % week when the movie