The Daily Alaska empire., 1948-04-06
If You Have Moi Taken Free
 Chest x-Ray, pr. (.(. Carrier Is Urging You 10 Do So Now

Every citizen of Juneau, Thane and Glacier Highway, who has not taken advantage of the opportu- nity for free chest X-ray, is urg- ed to do so this week, Dr. c. c. Carter City Health Officer, said today. The survey clinics being con- ducted in the Methodist Church rooms by the Territorial Depart ment of Health will continue through tonight and Wednesday and Thursday of this week and pos sibly into next week
 "The importance of the tubercu- losis free x-ray survey is factor that should not be overlooked by any clear thinking person" said Dr. Garter.
 Tn Alaska during the last war, 146 white boys and 331 native boys were rejected for- military service because of tuberculosis.
 Tn surveys in the States, compa- rable to the mass X-raying of our inductees. thousands of persons have been X-rayed, Dr. Car ter explained, and many cases of active tuberculosis found among people who looked perfectly heal thy. These chest X-rays have also been invaluable in uncovering other chest conditions.
 Some people ask why we go to the trouble and expense of finding cases of tuberculosis when the peo- pie concerned are not i'll. The answer is simply that long before the dis ease makes anyone visibly ill, dis ease germs can be given to other people. Every case of tuberculosis comes from someone else.
 That is the argument for care fully searching for the disease, and on the part of the person affected with the disease, there is untold ad- vantage in discovering it early. Tn it's early stages it is the most cu- rable of all the serious diseases.
 Early diagnosis of the disease means the use of the x-ray. In its early stages. tuberculosis does not produce symptoms A person hav- ing active tuberculosis in the early stages is usually not conscious of being ill. Only when the disease has progressed, when the person is un- reasonably fatigued, does not feel like eating, has a bad cough, per- haps spits up blood or has some other symptoms, does he become aware of something amiss and con- suits his physician.
 Although in some advanced ca ses there are certain symptoms quite easily detected, even the most able specialists do not attempt to diagnose a case without the aid of X-ray. Once the X-ray has demon strated tuberculosis, proper treat men5 can be started in the home or at Sanatorium.
 Dr. Garter explained that until the Territorial Department of Health obtained rapid chest X-ray- ing equipment, chest clinics con- fined their services to persons known to have tuberculosis, and these with whom they associated. As a result, only one in five persons suffering from the disease was dis covered when their disease was in an early stage. Mass surveys of ap- parently healthy persons have dis covered more than twice the num- Der of such cases.
 Dr. Carter gave two good reasons why local residents should take an active part in the survey. First: it is good health insurance to have an X-ray and know for sure that your chest is healthy, and second. the discovery of the disease in it's early stages means complete recov- cry if correct treatment is begun at once. Tuberculosis is an economic problem as well as a human pro- blem, for the cost of treating pa tient is approximately $5,000 per year. The earlier case is discover ed, the less cost for treatment