The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-12-21

An interesting and instructive l address on modern methods of treating tuberculosis was given | Wednesday over Station WATR by Dr James J. Hennessy in the in- terests of the seal sale being con- ducted locally by the Anti-Tuber- culosis league.
 Dr Hennessy is a member of the staff of "Cedarcrest," Hartford
 State Tuberculosis Sanatorium, and also maintains an office in the Harrington building on West Main
 street in this city. Following IS the text of the address:
 Last week the newspapers or the nation carried an article on the causes of death in these United States. The article listed the causes according to their respec- tive deadliness; that is, killed num- Der one was given as heart dls- ease. killer number two as cancer, and so on. Tuberculosis was num- Der five on the list. It is only a few short years ago that tupercu.. Iosis was number three. It would seem then that our fight against this particular killer is being crowned with victory. This is true but these bare newspaper facts do not begin to tell the story. Fur ther investigation of the mortality statistics reveals that between the ages of 15 and 25, tuberculosis is the greatest cause of death. In other words, tuberculosis kills more of our youth than any other
 disease. Other causes of death take greater numbers of our peo-
 ple. but the bulk of this mortality | is among persons far beyond mid- dle age. Tuberculosis, however, concentrates on destroying the very flower of our country, its youth. This is why we cannot al- low ourselves to be disarmed, when we read that deaths from this dis ease have fallen to fifth place. Our fight cannot relax an instant until our young are rescued from this danger. This brings me to the sub-
 ject of this talk, namely: what can be done to treat tuberculosis? l have purposely omitted speaking of the prevention of tuberculosis, which is undoubtedly the most im- portant aspect of the entire ques- tion; and the diagnosis, which is scarcely less important. l want to l tell you of the treatment of this disease, particularly the treatment of tuberculosis of the lungs.
 The first, last, and most impor- | tant single law for the treatment of tuberculosis is rest. Without
 rest, climate, food, fresh air, and
 medicine are as nothing. It is said that 95 per cent of the cure of this disease is rest and the other 5 per
 cent is made up of such things us fresh air, climate, and food. That
 statement is not an exaggeration. One example: Almost fifty years
 ago, a young physician, practicing l in New York, was told that he had
 the dreaded pulmonary phthisis or
 tuberculosis. In those days, and
 not so remote at that, to be told
 you had tuberculosis was the | equivalent of being told you were
 a walking dead man. You knew
 you were soon to meet your maker
 because invariably all persons af.
 fiicted with the disease died and
 died quickly. Every case discov-
 cred was told by his physician to
 lead a vigorous outdoor life with lots of exercise and deep-breath-
 ing. At that time this treatment
 was accepted and approved. Ap- parently no one suspected that
 perhaps the strenuous treatment
 had something to do with the
 death rate in this disease. Now
 this young physician knews his
 days were numbered and, wishing
 to die amid the surroundings he
 loved he went into the Adirondack
 wilderness to spend the remainder
 of his life. He led the life of 6 hunter in so far as his health per.
 mitted but he was so weak that he
 was unable to walk far. Instead
 he sat, sometimes all day long, by
 the fox and rabbit runways, while
 hls fellow hunters with their dogs
 drove the game in his direction,
 He noticed that after resting in
 this manner for hours his strength
 was much greater and he coughed
 less. This fact started Q small
 thought which revoiutionized the
 treatment of tuberculosis in this
 country. This small thought t
 now Trudeau sanatorium, the first
 in this country, and the physician
 az you all know, vas ID. Edward
 slxsysfive useful and busy years
 bears the iikeness of the ''Littls
 Red", the first sanaterium in thii
 country with room for only tive persons, built over tho old foz Funwayn, and dedicated e. that alt' important principle Of the treat monf of tubePouloeia, REST.
 | When we speak Of rest, We al opet think pf rest in bed and' '