The Washington times., 1935-12-03
ltifu1 Fur Coat Today for Miladys Christmas Present
Health
A Community
Disease
By LOGAN CLENDENING, M. ]

II we appne0 q CuDerculn ulaB-
noStic test to all the people Of a
crowded modern community, we
would find that over 90 per cent
of them react positively, which
means that they have at one
time had tuberculosis.
The tuberculin test for adults
has fallen into diSuse on that &C
count. So many people react to
it that it loses its Importance.
The same test has been carried
out on the natives Of village
In Central Africa. In this village
less than 2 per cent reacted posi-
lively. The savage living largely
in the open air, far from other
human contacts, does not ac-
quire it.
Christmas Seals
OF course, when tuberculosis
does get started in a savage COM
munity, the immunity is so low
that it spreads with great rapid
ity. This is the reason that so
much effort is expended in the
control of tuberculosis in our
modern centers of civilization.
Again I urge you to support
this work by buying your share
of the Christmas seals of the Ma
tional tuberculosis Society.
The incidence and death rate
of tuberculosis have been going
down steadily for the last rs years.
Only once in that period was
there any upturn in the curve
and that, significantly enough,
was in the year 1918, after the
effects Of undernutrition in war
time populations had begun to
produce results. It is noticeable
that it was not felt until the end
Of the war.
The effects Of undernutrition on
tuberculosis are not noticeable for
four or five years. Up to now
we have found no increase in the
tuberculosis rate due to the de-
preston. This may be due to the
fact that the full effects Of the
depression have not yet mani
tested themselves in this particu-
lar direction.
In spite of the decrease in the
incidence of tuberculosis, we still
have it with us. There were $4,000
deaths from tuberculosis in the
United States in 1888. Eternal
vigilance must. therefore, be
maintained to keep the disease
in control, and particularly to spot
the early case.
have a letter from a reader
of this column which goes: Il,
a registered nurse and a patient
in q tuberculosis Sanitarium, read
a recent article in a national
magazine on the subject of tuber
culoSis, which was the description
of one patients own fight with
the disease. The thing that struck
me was his experience, so similar
to my own, that several doctors
passed him over without making
q diagnosis.
Diagnosis
The first week 1 was here
became acquainted with a girl
who had q family history of tu-
berculosiS. but who had been as
sured by her physician, without
X-ray, sputum and tuberculin
tests, that all she had was bron-
chitis. I was myself told by a
doctor, You have nothing the
matter with you. You have had
three negative sputum tests; that
ought to satisfy anyone"
I agree that we cannot empha-
size too strongly the necessity for
keeping the medical profession
reminded of the possible presence
of tuberculosis. Most Of our
modern doctors, however. have
had that we'll drilled into them.
Not only from the symptoms
fatigue, cough, loss of weight,
pleurisy. splitting of blood-but
from the examination with the
stethoscope and the great help
that has come from the use Of
the X-ray, few cases who have as
complete examination as this in
dicates, should be overlooked.
EDITORS NOTE: Six PAM
phlets by DR.. Clendening can now
be obtained by sending 10 cents
in coin, for each. and Self-ad-
dressed envelope stamped with a
three-cent stamp, to DR.. Logan
Clendening, in care Of The Wash
ington Times. The pamphlets
are: Indigestion and Constipa-
ton" Reducing and Gaining"
Infant Feeding" Instructions
for the Treatment of Diabetes"
Feminine Hygiene" and The
Care of the Hair and Skin"
C,oopc+iOno fOrI