The Carbon County news. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1931, 1926-12-09


that in 50 per cent of all persons who
had arrived at the age of fifteen years
the lungs showed evidence of healed or
active tuberculosis. This means that
nearly every human being has or has
had tuberculosis.
tuberculosis Not Hereditary
Previous to the discovery of the
tubercle bacillus the disease was re-
garded as hereditary. Now we know
there is nothing Unbeatable about it.
The reason children of tuberculosis
parents are more prone to the disease
is that they inherit tendency to it.
They are not as rugged as the off
spring of healthy parents. They live
in an infected environment.
A mother can give birth to child
that has active tuberculosis and her
milk may contain tubercle bacilli.
But both occurances are so extremely
Grafton. The milk of tuberculous
mother may, however, contain toxins
of tubercle bacilli whose ingestion
produces malnutrition, digestive dis
turbances, and fever in the child, thus
rendering him susceptible to the dis
ease. Such a mother should never
nurse her infant, not alone for the
child's sake but her own, as she will
certainly grow worse because of the
depletion she suffers in the process
of milk production.
Resistance to tuberculosis
The germ of tuberculosis gains ac-
cess to the body by being inhaled or
swallowed. And since these bacteria
are present at all times in every COM
munity it follows that practically all
OF US are constantly harboring them.
| There must of necessity be some
thing in the Individual that holds the
germs in check, else the human race
would long ago have become extinct.
So far as immunity is concerned
there probably is none-at least, in
the sense that measles or whooping
cough confer. The best preventive of
tuberculosis is healthy condition of
the tonsils, teeth, larynx and bron-
chial tubes, together with normal ac-
tlvlty of the stomach and intestines.
1t is only when the germs encounter
point of lowered resistance that
they are capable Of establishing them
selves.
Predisposing Causes of tuberculosis
People are more apt to acquire tu-
berculosis or, having acquired it, to
actively develop it, if they are anem-
lc; If they are habitually over-ex-
hausted; when they are under-nourish-
ed; when they are below weight; af-
ter repeated attacks of bronchitis; fol-
lowing slow recovery from measles,
tlu, whooping cough and similar dis
eases. Any undermining disease, es-
peclally one of a chronic character, is
likely to make the patient victim of
tuberculosis.
tuberculosis In Children
Children are to be suspected as be-
ing predisposed to tuberculosis or
probably already have it in a latent
form if they have adenoids, enlarged
glands of the necks, show tendency
to eczema, are pale and have poor
teeth.
Decayed teeth should not be left I'M
attended just because they are tenn
porary. Cavities in the teeth harbor
all kinds of germs including the tu-
bercle bacilli, and are distinct men
ace to the child's health.
Enlarged glands in the neck are in
large percentage of cases tubercular.
The germs inhaled into the throat are
first checked by the tonsils, and when
these are overpowered, diseased or re-
moved, the glands step into the
breach.
tuberculosis is disease of civili-
cation. 1t is product of over-crowd-
ing and all it's attendant evils. Our
health officers are doing all that is
possible to corral everyone who has
the disease. When the last patient has
been caught and isolated the White
Plague will have been conquered.
Mrs. ]. B. H. writes: "G) Woman
aged so. Has intercostal neuralgia.
Could you suggest permanent cure?
At times the right side is sore. Artifi-
cial teeth are used. Patient is thin
but feels well in other ways. In April !
she developed pain in the knees, es-
pecially right one. Sometimes they
would pain worse after retiring and
pain would affect even the sole of the
foot. Knee was rubbed with liniment