ILUMBIA LIBRARIES OFFSITE IEALTH SCIENCES STANDARD a/afcHnow-a &*? ctf~- HX64131670 I I J i \ K \ -J I > ' U I! .N48 What you should know \&\**- lv.A*A 3-i*>\*A. r^ H-^^^^A * RECAP WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT TUBERCULOSIS Columbia cUntoetsttp COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS LIBRARY Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from Open Knowledge Commons http://www.archive.org/details/whatyoushouldknoOOnewy WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT TUBERCULOSIS WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT TUBERCULOSIS PREPARED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND THE COMMITTEE ON THE PREVENTION OF TUBERCULOSIS OF THE CHARITY ORGANIZATION SOCIETY New York City 1910 Copyright, 1910, by Frank H. Mann. PURPOSE This little book is prepared by the Department of Health and the Com- mittee on the Prevention of Tubercu- losis of the Charity Organization Society for use in the 8A and 8B Grades of the Elementary Schools and in the High Schools under the Department of Edu- cation of New York City. It is intended to teach in simple language the principal facts about tuber- culosis. Most of the illustrations are made from a special exhibit prepared by the Committee for use in the public schools and other places where a large number of persons can see it. Printed By The J. W. Pratt Company New York TUBERCULOSIS WHY YOU SHOULD BE INTERESTED There are many reasons why you should be interested in the subject of tuberculosis. You or some of your fam- ily or friends may at some time develop the disease. By knowing something about it you can greatly lessen the chance of getting it. If you do get it, you will know what to do in order to get well, and to keep others from getting it from you. WHAT TUBERCULOSIS IS Pulmonary tuberculosis is a very common, and frequently a fatal disease of the lungs. 6 WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW It is caused by the growth and mul- tiplication in the lungs of a very small germ, called the tuber- cle bacillus, which is so small it cannot be seen without the use of a very powerful microscope, which magnifies it several tuberculosis germs magni- , , , fied Many Times. The hundred times. rods are the germs. Twenty-five hundred of these germs placed end to end would not be one inch in length. These germs may gradually spread through the greater part of one or both lungs, destroying the usefulness of those organs until finally the patient dies of the disease. The disease is often called consump- tion, for the reason that during its prog- ABOUT TUBERCULOSIS 1 ress the patient loses weight rapidly, and hence seems to be consumed. Tuberculosis may infect any other part of the body besides the lungs, such as the bones, joints, intestines, glands, brain, spinal cord, and the skin, but of all forms of inflammation, that of the lungs is most common. The tubercle bacillus is the only cause of the disease. Children Chiefly Have Tuberculosis of the Bones and Joints. WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW Many people think that pulmonary tuberculosis comes from a cold or some other disease, or is inherited. This is not correct. The reason why people develop tuberculosis after a prolonged cold or pneumonia or other exhausting disease is because their systems have run down to such an extent that they are not strong enough to resist the tubercle bacilli when taken into their bodies. These germs are very widely distributed, and practically all peo- ple breathe them in at times. If their systems are in excellent condi- tion, the germs do not gain a foothold and start the disease. Any condition that •. The Fly Spreads Tuber- culosis and Other Diseases. ABOUT TUBERCULOSIS ELDRLOOF. t J _J Ml.rt^r.. L-JjmJ? T„ ^m %u**» II Jhfi btjUta- «».»». . . ..« ■. . p.—*— M*{ , 14* 1 -■ ».1 Liu... 'L-m^-J Lw^«J t ORCHARD ' -~i r— n r—i f~~ f4f¥MM&^** « ■5. i 1 '41 Map Showing Extent of Disease. Each Pin Means One Case for That House. 10 WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW Out-Door Schools Prevent Tuberculosis. weakens the body predisposes one to consumption. EXTENT OF THE DISEASE Tuberculosis kills more people than any other disease. Every three minutes someone in the United States dies from consumption. Every day during the time you are in school one hundred persons are dying from this disease. Every year more per- sons die in the United States from con- sumption than died in this country from yellow fever in a period of one hundred and fifteen years. ABOUT TUBERCULOSIS 11 Three or four times as many people die every year in the United States from this disease as were killed in both armies during the Civil War. Every seventh person who dies, dies from tuberculosis. SYMPTOMS There are a number of symptoms which might lead a person to suspect that he has pulmonary tuberculosis, namely, loss of weight, loss of appetite, Raffia Work at an Open-Air Class for Tuberculous Children. 12 WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW loss of color, fever in the afternoon, cough and expectoration (spitting) last- ing for several weeks, spitting of blood or streaks of blood in the sputum, chills, night sweats, difficulty in breathing, and pains in the chest. In incipient tuberculosis the com- monest symptoms are loss of weight with cough and expectoration. When these symptoms occur it does not necessarily mean that tuberculosis exists, but it would be wise for a person having them to consult a physician. HOW WE GET TUBERCULOSIS We can get tuberculosis only by re- ceiving into the body the little germs known as the tubercle bacilli. The consumptive infects another, or gives tuberculosis of the lungs to another, ABOUT TUBERCULOSIS 13 SHALL WE ALLOW THIS TREE TO STAND, OR SHALL WE DESTROY 1T.R00T AND BRANCH 14 WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW by means of the tubercle bacilli in the material coughed up from the diseased lungs, which often contains millions of these germs. Scrubbing the Walls to Get Rid of Germs. The germs get out of the body of a person who has tuberculosis, not only in the material which is coughed up, but also in the little drops, too small to be seen, which are sprayed out when persons with tuberculosis cough or sneeze. ABOUT TUBERCULOSIS IB Great care should be taken to de- stroy all material coughed up by the consumptive, and to avoid careless coughing and sneezing. If this is not done, and if the sputum is discharged on the floor or carpets or clothing the germs may live for months, especially in dark, damp, unventilated bedrooms, living rooms, and work-rooms. The germs will live in the darkness and dampness for a long time, and are stirred up in dusting and sweeping these rooms, and float in the air and may be breathed into the lungs, or may fall upon articles of food and be taken into the body in that way. It is not safe to move into a house or rooms in which a patient with tuber- culosis has lived until such house or rooms have been thoroughly cleansed and disinfected or renovated. 16 WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW The kind of people most likely to get tuberculosis are those who are run down or ill from poor or insufficient food, from living in dark, overcrowded or ill-ventilated rooms, or from overwork, or during convalescence from other ex- hausting diseases. Their weakened sys- tems cannot resist the disease. Taking the Cure at Home. On the Roof in Summer. ABOUT TUBERCULOSIS 17 Working or Jiving in dusty rooms may lead to the disease, especially where the air is bad from poor ventilation or overcrowding. On the Roof in Winter. 18 WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW HOW TO PREVENT TUBERCULOSIS In order to keep from getting tuber- culosis, the first and most important rule is to keep as strong and healthy as possible. When the tubercle bacilli get into the body or lungs of a healthy person they do not multiply but are usually soon killed, while in the lungs of a weak or sickly person they in- crease in num- ber and produce tuberculosis. Of great assistance in keeping well and strong are quantities of fresh, pure Feather Dusters Should Never Be Used; They Spread Disease. Use Moist Cloths in Dust- ing and Sweeping. ABOUT TUBERCULOSIS 19 Preparing to Rest at a School in the Open Air. air both in the daytime and at night, in the home, in the school room, and in the work- room, together with proper food, cleanliness, and tem- perance. One can get fresh, pure air by keep- ing out of doors as much as possible, by keeping the living rooms during the day- time well ventilated, and by keeping the windows of the bedrooms wide open all night. Dust may be largely avoided by cleaning with d amp Resting Body and Mind at an Open- Air School. 20 WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW cloths and brooms (never use a dry broom or duster). Children should be taught not to put anything in their mouths except food. Putting pencils, coins, or playthings in the mouth, or eating candy or chew- ing gum which other children have had in their mouths are dirty, dangerous habits, and should be avoided. Overindulgence in whiskey or other forms of alcohol predisposes one to tuberculosis, and the use of intoxicants of any kind in tuberculosis is distinctly injurious. Alcohol weakens the body so that it cannot resist the disease germs. Every person should take a warm bath with soap at least once each week, and if possible should have a cold bath every morning. ABOUT TUBERCULOSIS 21 HOW TO AVOID COLDS One can keep from catching cold : 1. By always having plenty of fresh air both day and night. 2. By taking a cold bath every morning. Recreation Period at a Fresh Air School. 3. By avoiding exposure to cold and damp after such diseases as measles and whooping cough. 22 WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW 4. By keeping the feet dry and avoiding exposure to cold and drafts when very warm or very tired. 5. By avoiding all close and over- heated rooms crowded with people, such as moving picture shows and cheap theatres. MEDICINES There is no medicine that will cure consumption. It is a w r aste of time and money to use so-called "Consumption Cures." W* .j& .. Jllll -51 **■■>- -*~4i!-f^J4sjP* EgggfrajBjjfe' i> ; * VKIg-^g/' jT □Ei5r3fe IJli Iw^^jb^S^^'x '"^yffi SB| — ^■^ailij BHSNHVf > *J ._JH 5»S15SSii^Hr~£?-!i JSSEEsSS SESSSB^*^-.-- 1 - 11, Tents at Ray Brook Sanatorium Showing Out-Door Treatment. ABOUT TUBERCULOSIS 23 All advertised cures of this nature are frauds. Doctors who advertise should be avoided as much as medi- cines which are advertised. Reputable doctors do not advertise. When a person learns that he has tuberculosis he should go at once to a physician or a dispensary, and do as he is advised. He should not waste time and money on patent medicines. Advertised cures and advertising doctors are all worthless. TREATMENT The treatment for tuberculosis is rest, with plenty of fresh air, and enough good wholesome food. No medicine is necessary except in cases where other diseases are present. 24 WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW Tuberculous patients should eat three good meals each day, and in ad- dition take milk in the mid-morning and mid-afternoon. They should get all the rest and sleep possible, and should avoid overwork and too much exercise. If treatment is begun early, tuber- culosis can be cured by good food, fresh air and rest. The best results are ob- tained in hospitals which are located in the country, and are called sanatoria. It is not dangerous to live or work with a person who has tuberculosis if he is cleanly and is very careful to destroy all the sputum which he coughs up. A person with tuberculosis should not sleep in the same bed with any one else, and if possible, not even in the same room. ABOUT TUBERCULOSIS 25 HOW YOU CAN HELP 1. Teachers: By instructing pupils as to the nature, prevention, and cure of tuberculosis ; by teaching children simple rules of health, how to breathe deeply, etc. ; by keeping the class room well ventilated. 2. Parents: By keeping the home clean and well ventilated ; by teaching children to sleep with windows open, to eat proper and nourishing food, to ob- serve the laws of health. 3. Children : By keeping clean ; by putting nothing into the mouth except food ; by staying as much as possible in the fresh air and sunshine ; by eating only wholesome and nourishing food. 26 WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW QUESTIONS Why should everyone be interested in tuberculosis ? What is tuberculosis ? In what part of the body is it most commonly found ? Why is it called consumption ? How do other diseases prepare the way for tuberculosis ? What is said about the extent of this disease ? What are its symptoms? How do the germs get out of the body? Why should those who have tuber- culosis destroy their spit ? ABOUT TUBERCULOSIS 27 In what kind of places does tuber- culosis thrive? What persons are most likely to get the disease ? Name some ways of preventing tuberculosis. How should dusting and sweeping be done ? What is said about the effect of alcohol ? How may one keep from catching cold? What is said about patent medi- cines ? What is the best treatment for tuberculosis ? COI DUE DATE Th expira Printed in USA COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES 0022318860 RC311 :;*s New York (City) Dept. cf health.