Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-12-12
tuberculosis
Development
May Be Slow
Assumes One Character
in Child Then Changes
By LOGAN CLENDENING. NJ. d,

BY LOGAN CLENDENING. NJ. d
YESTERDAY I tried TO out
L line the conception of the
nature and development Of
tuberculosis to which most mod
ern students of the subject SUBJ
scribe.
Let me remind you that I
said that tuberculosis may affect
many different. parts OF the
body, most frequently the lungs.
tuberculosis of the lungs oc-
ours mostly in young adults.
Although IL is natural to sup
pose, when a young person at
the age of 20 or so begins to
cough and it is found that he
has tuberculosis, that the dis
ease has suddenly made its ap-
pearance, the real facts are
probably that it was acquired
in childhood, usually from an
other person in the household
or in school.
This means that tuberculosis
is a disease of very slow devel-
opment which ssumes one
character in childhood and
changes TO another character in
adult life.
The child. let us say. Is
brought up in a household where
there is an old grandfather or
grandmother who has a chronic
cough.
The cough always has been
thought to be chronic bron-
chitis. but it may be tubercu-
losis.
tuberculosis does not always
Kill them off in youth.
Sometimes enough immunity
develops so that it is carried by
people until they get TO be 70
or 80 years of age.
IN CHILDHOOD the disease
L remains in the lymph nodes
Of the chest or abdomen.
1t is not necessarily in the
lungs and therefore is not char
acterized by coughing or spu-
tum, but by slight changes in
nutrition, such as low fever
in the afternoon and persistent
under-nutrition.
If the disease is not con-
quered by the individual in
childhood, it may spread TO the
bones, the kidneys, or most fire.
quently. TO the lungs where it
turns into an entirely different
disease-the familiar form of tu-
berculosis, characterized by
coughing, fever, expectoration
loss of weight, fatigue, etc.
But is there any danger in
being a nurse, medical student
or doctor in a tuberculosis
sanatorium
Doctor Trudeau said In 1905:
"Our employees in the sana-
forum, dining groom maids, ETC.,
are all Wealthy people. None Of
tfrem mas developed tuberculO-
sis I'm the sanatorium.'
HERE, too. ideas have changed
H somewhat.
OF late years reports have
come in showing that medical
students and nurses break down
with tuberculosis more often
than the general population at
that age. y
OF course. IL must be remem-
bered that the patient of 20 10
% is al the age when tubercu-
losis is most often discovered.
In a well known university II
was found that during their col
lege years. IL per cent of medi-
cal students and only 1.8 per
cent of law students developed
tuberculosis.
In a hospital for the treat
ment of tuberculosis, TIA pupil
nurses who were healthy when
they started training developed
tuberculosis, so that after two
years 90 per cent had become
affected.
This is largely due to careless
ness on the part Of patients who
do not cover the mouth while
coughing and project droplets
into the air.
These cases are apparently
healed childhood cases that had
a focus that was lighted Into
activity by the immunity proc
ess of re-infection.
Medical students who enter
school with a negative tubercu-
lin test almost always become
positive within two or three
years.
QUESTIONS, ANSWERS
G.. X. Gin what foods will
one find sulphur? l have re-
Gently heard that the health of
the nails and hair are dependent
on the supply of sulphur the
body has. Is this based on fact?
Answer: Sulphur containing
foods are lean beef, eggs, milk,
wheat flour, oatmeal, beans,
peas, and potatoes.
Sulphur is a constituent part
not only of hair and nails. but
of all the muscles of the body.