The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-11-20

bllANg allh NAANlA N4AAg SA'A 49,
his column.
seals do not cost much. If every
family would buy a dollars worth
to put on the Christmas mail the
amount expected TO be raised
would be realized.
The money really accomplishes
something. We are winning the
campaign against tuberculosis just
as we are winning so many of our
campaigns. Victory is, of course,
far from complete. There still die
every year in the United States
from tuberculosis what would rep
resent the population of fair
sized town of about sixty thousand
people. This is a loss by prevent
able disease-a pure loss, the kind
that needn't occur. But it IS much
less than it used to be.
Perhaps as graphic a way to
show the improvement as any is
TO compare the amount Of money
disbursed by a large insurance
company like the Metropolitan in
death claims. In 1881, the disburse-
ments of the company for deaths
from tuberculosis was 7.3 per cent
Of the total disbursements; in
1871 it was Al per cent. cannot
find in my files the figures for
later years, but have no doubt the
Improvement is still going on.
Other Diseases
In that same period the dis
bursements for cancer rose from
10 per cent in 1881 to IA per cent
in 1871, and for heart disease from
Is per cent in 1881 to Is per cent
in 1871, showing that we have far
less control over these latter
chronic diseases than we do over
tuberculosis.
What causes can be ascribed for
the improvement in the tubereu-
losis death rate and incidence? Is
it natural phenomenon or did We
plan it that way1
u.s., s-.--.y - mus be admitted
that it is a natural phenomenon.
tuberculosis is a disease of pow
erty, of overcrowded living condi-
tions and Of poor food and bad
nutrition. And undoubtedly in
North America these conditions
have greatly improved. Social re-
forms have to certain extent done
away with slums. Our housing con-
ditions are better than they were
so years ago. And in spite of the
walls Of the experts about how
many million Americans are not
eating the proper diet, food seems
to be pretty well distributed and
everybody is getting fair share.
The tendency to a more outdoor
life and exposure to sunshine DISC
helps keep down tuberculosis.
Planned Campaign
But undoubtedly the deliberate
ly planned campaign against tu-
berculosis has done its share. For
one thing it is educational. 1t is
no longer considered a disgrace to
have tuberculosis. The early symp-
toms are not disguised with fancy
names that are only masks, such
as-"she has gone into kind Of
a Decline" or, "winter cough"
More cases are detected earlier,
are removed so that they do not
contaminate others in the house,
hold, and treated at period in the
disease when they can be cured.
Two other plans can be specif-
ally mentioned. One was the
elimination Of tuberculosis cattle.
Thirty, even twenty, years ago the
nature of a great deal Of human
tuberculosis in this country was
bovine, from infected milk. The
Department Of Agriculture rigor-
ously demanded the slaughter of
all animals which reacted at all
-uspiciously TO the tuberculin test.
Second, the educational program
initiated in 1928 has undoubtedly
brought many early cases to treat
ment. The poster for that year
read-"You may have tuberculo-
sis: let your doctor decide. Watch
for these danger signs: too easily
tired: loss Of weight: Indigestion:
cough that hangs on" That is still
good advice.
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