The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-09-10
Maher Pleads For
 Cured Consumptive
In Speech at Amsterdam, Holland Chairman of State
 TB Committee Discredits Old Theories

Heretofore when we shave de- vised new plan of campaign for our antitubercufosis warfare, we had only to confide our ideas to the public, and the funds neces- sary for the financing of the new plan were immediately supplied from the treasuries of our various states, and countries, or from the bank accounts of our more pros- porous citizens. Today the money bego of all governments and of empty. The only hope for the sur vival of all governments and of most people demands on their abil- ity to limit all expenditures to the absolutely necessary. Now if we approach the harassed treasurers and legislatures of the world with & demand for more monies in or der to, supply our cured cases of tuberculosis with post graduate sanatorfum treatment in newly planned and constructed tubercu- iosis colonies and villages, not only will our requests be denied, but our whole antituberculosis cam paign will be subjected to hostile investigation; we will be held up to public generation as faddists who have no care for the other and real needs of the community; we will be told that we must cure our pa tients in our costly sanatoria, and not discharge our patients until they are cured, and able to resume their former places in society. If we were to ask our impressed governments or the few rich men and women left on earth for a lit- tie money to permit us to follow up some promising line of research or to make available to all our patients the wonderful results ob- we will be listened to, and prob ably provided with a portion of the sums requested, but for post graduate instruction of our cured or arrested cases, we will receive and we ought to receive neither dollars nor shillings nor francs, nor marks, nor guldon.
 And the whole world will cry out to us, "Yes our last dollar we will share with you to enable you to search night and day for specific cure for tuberculosis, or to help you develop the new great surgrical weapon against tuberculosis, but don't ask us for money for any such antituberculosis millinery as settlements or villages. Cure your
 patients in your sanatoria. Don't discharge convalescent patients un- til they are cleared of tubercle bacilli and until they have recov- cred strength sufficient to enable them to work at'least half time At their ordinary occupation. Then you will need no post graduate schools or factories or villages for case. hardening the human products oI your. sanatoria. No village or set. clement can train or teach patients so efficiently or SO cheaply as car the sanatorium. Occupational ther. apy can be administered to suit. able patients at sanatorium witf greater success and discretion thar at a tuberculosis colony or village In my experience the chief hin. | drance to the sanatorium gradu ate's securing employment is no
 his own weakness, but the phthisi ophobia of his friends and employ ers.' You and I sowed the seed ol this plague of phthisiophobia many years ago. It behooves us therefore ! to start an education campaign that will undo all the harm. caused
 by our excited imaginings of twent,
 or more years ago. Teaching thu public the truth about the unlikeli
 hood of adults injecting othe
 adults with tuberculosis, will d,
 more to smooth the paths for tn,
 graduates of tuberculosis sanatori;
 and to provide suitable employ
 ment for these graduates, than tn,
 erection of the thousands of tuber | culosis villages that would b,
 needed if we were to take seriousl.
 the arguments of their enthusiast,
 proponents.
 Recent heavy thunderstorms il the Moselle wine district of Franc,