The Omaha guide., 1940-04-27
GY II. f. KLEINSCHMILT, MD.
DIRECTIR. HEALTH EDUCA-
TION NATIONAL TUBERCUL~
IOSIS ASSOCIATION


a telegram from their grandson
at college telling them that he was
coming 10 visit them for the week
end. irving TO the station while
his wife remained at home to fry
tn echicken and bake a couple OF
her wonderful apple pies. Grand
father Parker reflected on the
marvel of the telegraph. When
he was a college boy. one sent a
letter-not a telegram-and al
lowed at least two days for the
Letter to reach its destination be-
fore he boarded a train. II a
sudden journey like Henry's had
been undertaken. he would have
run the risk of arriving without
being met and perhaps frightening
the folks half to death. Now a
days, a fellow sends a wire at the
time of departure with the full
assurance that the message will
arrive before the the passenger.
Just as marvellous. and even
more significant to you and to
me, are the newer discoveries in
medicine that makes 1t possible
for the doctor to foresee certain
events. Some diseases swoop
down upon US without warning.
Many of them approach at a slow
er pace and a be halted before
serious damage is done. For in
stance, certain forms of cancer be-
gin as innocent looking sores. If
promptly treated, serious cancer
can be prevented.
tuberculosis Is N of the dis
ease switch may be On the way
long before it actually arrives ip
the form of disabling disease.
Every sensible person today
knows that tuberculosis is durable
IL discovered in its early stages.
We know, too. that the longer
the delay from the time of the APP
pearance of the first symptom to
the time of diagnosis, the, greater
cure. One study showed that
will be the time required for a
when this delay was nc more than
3 months, the average loss of
time from work while taking the
cure was about 9 months. But, if
the delap had extended for a year
Or more, the loss of time from
work ayedaged Is months. In
other words. the longer we wait
before going to tn edoctor for a
diagnosis, the longer it will take
to get well.
Yet, that Is but half the story.
The longer the delay, the further
will the disease have progressed.
Early tuberculosis usually gets
well promptly. tuberculosis in
its late stages may mean long
years of disability, if lot death.
And 1t has been impressed upon
and loss of weight are danger
signals. 1t is always best to let
capped people will be given help.
all of us that symptoms such as
tiredness, cough that hangs ON
your doctor decide whether these
signs are being caused by tubers
culosis.
Is there a way of predicting tu-
berculosis? We used to speak of
the "preNtuberculous' state, bas-
ed on the assumption that one
could tell by the general appear
ance of a person whether or not
he woull fall victim to tubercul-
osis.
Certain anatomical types, such
as flat-chested. lean individuals
were supposed to be favored can
didates for the white Plague"
We thought that children who
were pale and u~nderweight were
headed for the tragedy of tuber-
culosis. Today We know that
such signs are wholly unreliable
Too often we are shocked to find
tuberculosis developing in peo-
pie who are the very picture of
health and vitality.
tuberculosis may lie dormant
for weeks and then suddenly break
forth. 1t is a heart breaking ex-
perience, especially when that
happens, as it most frequently
does, to a Young person Of the
Threshold of life. By trat time
the situation is serious. If he neg
lects the warning, such a patient
has ahead of him a long period of
treatment in bed and perhaps
years of inactivity with all the
Illustration that may mean to an
ambitious youngster.
How can We meet so sinister a
threat? l am glad to say that we
actually can intercept it. We are
able, so to speak. to know that the