River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1925-04-09
FREE CHEST CLINIC
APRIL is And II

he annual free chest clinic which
the Wisconsin tuberculosis AS
ISOLATION here will be held April is
and II at the Armory according to
an announcement received from
headquarters in Milwaukee. River
Falls people are thoroughly familiar
with the free chest clinic work, sew
eraI clinics having been held here
during the past lew years. The
clinic is financed by funds raised
from the sale of Christmas seals.
Part of the expense being paid by
the Local Association and the re-
mainder by tne state organization.
Clinic hours will be from $3.50 a. m.
to 500 p. n, and children under the
age of 1e must be accompanied by
parent or some other older person.
At the clinic last year in River Falls
there were So examinations made and
6 cases of tuberculosis were found
This year the clinic team will con-
sist of 2 examining physicians and
special clinic worker. During the
past year more than $4,000 examin-
ations have been made at more than
800 free chest clinics throughout
Wisconsin, and about 149o of those
examined were tuberculosis patients.
This is a smaller percentage than in
previous years, an indication, like
the declining death rate from tuber-
culosis, that the battle is being won.
Although the battle that is being
waged so increasingly against tuber-
culosis is unquestionably being won,
| there is still for too much havoc
wrought by this much dreaded dis
ease. The clinic records of the Wis
consin ti-Tuberculosis Association
show an occasional tragedy case
in which whole family is wiped out
by the great white plague. These
| records hold stories of young fam
lilies orphaned by this disease of
parents bereft Of their young sons
and daughters; of homes broken up
by tuberculosis. These things are
still happening, but in the majority
of cases the endings are much more
happy. People are learning that
tuberculosis is durable, especially if
properly treated and caught early be-
fore it has had chance to become
advanced. They are coming to I'M
derstand the value of the periodic
physical examination as means Of
discovering early, not only tuber-
culosis, but all sorts of other dis
orders. ALI diseases are more easily
checked and cured when discovered
before they have gained much hold
on the body, and this is especially
true of tuberculosis. Twenty years
ago diagnosis of tuberculosis was
equivalent to the layman to death
warrant, today thousands of Wiscon-
sin men, women and children know
from personal experience that tuber-
culosis can be cured for they them
selves have overcome the disease and
are now living normal, healthy lives,
healthier perhaps, because of their
experience in this illness.
Prevention is being stressed more
than ever today because after all that
is the goal toward which everyone is
consciously or unconsciously aiming,
and tuberculosis can easily be pre-
vented. The greatest asset in pre-
vention germs and hygienic living is
the essential thing in building such
body. The purpose of the free
chest clinic is to discover new and in
| cipient cases of tuberculosis; to seek
out the old chronic cases which are
| so often a source of infection to
others; and to teach prevention. The
clinic is, of course, free to everyone,
the expenses Of this work being paid
entirely through funds raised by the
sale of penny Christmas seals. 1t is
| hoped that persons who have been
| exposed to the disease will be sure
to have an examination. This is most
important in the case of children, be-
cause latent infection may be pre-
sent in the lungs for long time
without showing itself and then
Eight up" when the bodily resistance
is for some reason or other lowered.
Others who should be sure to attend
are: persons who have ever had tub
! erculosis; those who have diseases Of
the chest other than tuberculosis;
apemic and underweight children and
all persons who have any of the fol-
lowing symptoms: fatigue, lack of
pep, loss of appetite and weight, in
digestion, afternoon fever, vague
Pains in the chest and persistent
cough or cold.