The Omaha guide., 1947-02-01

TRITON, in order to prevent the
possibility of q sharp rise in tuber-
culosis incidence. These prepare
lions, created originally to treat
victims Of Reimbursement from
Axis prisons and concentration
camps, have been successfully used
at the National Jewish hospital
during the recent meat shortage
and also for those patients unable
to absorb directly large quantities
OF high protein foods.
Indicating that the hospitals
food costs have increased more
than 20 percent since June. with
meat prices rising in some cases
up to 100 percent, butter more
than 100 percent, canned foods SO
percent, eggs So percent and al
most all foods generally experience
ing marked price advances. the
report pointed out a definite par
allel between conditions prevailing
in the United States today and
the initiation in European coun-
tries during and after both World
Wars, according to DR.. Mayer.
The report on food prices TO
our Board Of Trustees" said DR..
Mayer, gives us fair warning of
some unfortunate conditions, past
and present, in Europe, eventuali-
ties which we must do our ut
most to avoid here in the United
States. Toward this end. the Ma
tional Jewish hospital at Denver
is supplemnting the diet of its
patients today.
The privations which we're suf-
fered in Europe in the first World
War and which, according to
UNRRA reports are being felt
again today in various parts of
the world. ought to make Amer
leans justifiably alarmed. For ex-
ample, when Germany was block
AIDED during the first war, when
food was scarce and Germans
were compelled to subsist on a
subnormal diet, the tuberculosis
death rate per 10O, 900 rose from
143 to 230. Upon the lifting of the
blockade, death from tuberculosis
fell to 1877 per 10O,0 600.
Again, when Germany witness
ed her dramatic postwar infla-
ton in 1922, the tuberculosis
death rate jumped to 152 per 1OO,-
900; when German currency was
stabilized, nutrition improved. and
the mortality rate for tuberculosis
fell to 1O8.
The consequences of World
War II with respect to tubercul-
osis are extremely grave, and re-
cent reports indicate initial phases
of a rise Of incidence and death
rate comparable to World War l."
Dr. Mayors report declared.
while the housing and general
deterioration of public health fa-
cilities influence this rise to a
great extent, malnutrition is a
major factor, it is indicated. Ber-
lin. for example, is reporting a
tuberculosis death rate 3k times
that prevailing before World War
II.
"UNRRA reports on Greece ten
tatively estimate a rise in the tu-
berculosis mortality rate from
1855 per 100000 in 1888 to 400 to
480 per 100,O 900 today, or 10 to IL
times that of the rate of 40 per
100, 900 in the United States. In
Greece tuberculosis stands out as
the leading cause Of death, with
more than one out of every four
deaths in the large cities attribut-
ed to the dread White Plague.
Poland as well suffered horribly
from tuberculosis. both during the
late World War II and in the post
war period. The disease In Poland
is now very widespread, accord
ing to UNRRA reports, particular
ly in the large cities. Warsaw. for
example, showed a death rate in
1914 fifteen times as high as that
in the United States, whereas it
was only four times as high be-
fore the a Similarly alarming
reports are true Of LODI, Krakow,
Poznan and other Polish cities.
In Italy, tuberculosis mortal
ity rates rose from 128 per 100
1000 in 1914, the last year for which
reliable statistics are available
from the Health Section of the
Secretariat of the League of Ma
tons. This same record reveals
alarming rises in tuberculosis in
all occupied European nations, and
many unoccupied and neutral
countries as well. including Eng
land, Austria, Belgium, Denmark,
Spain, France, Hungary Norway.
The Netherlands Romania Swe-
den and Portugal. The United Ma
tons World Health Authorities,
according to the report, attribute
these drastic increases in death
from the disease, which has taken
more lives than any other in all
human history, not only to short
ages Of food and unavailability Of
food due to initiation, but also to
a general deterioration in public
and private health facilities coin
cident with the avraeges of war
and reconstruction.
"Denmark's experiences during
World War I. when most Danish
dairy products and meats were
exported because Of high prices
abroad. saw a rise in the tuber-
culosis death rate from 1873 per
100000 in 1914 to 176 in 1917" the
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