The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, August 19, 1909. WORKERS AND THE “WHITE PLAGUE."

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 469, 19 August 1909, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, August 19, 1909. WORKERS AND THE “WHITE PLAGUE."

In the course of an address at the opening in Whitechapel, London, of the exhibition organised by the National Association for the Prevention of Consumption, Mr John Burns, President of the Local Government Board, gave this wholesome advise :—“Workmen have got to realise that to reciprocate the advice of the doctor, the help of tbe State, the municipality, and associations like this, they must spend their wages more wisely, selecting better food, and paying higher rent to avoid the scourge of consumption. Alcohol, in the opinion of celebrated doctors, predisposes the individual to tuberculosis by its paralysing action. The public-house is the purveyor of tuberculosis. The infection of healthy people by the sputum of consumption is one of most prolific sources of this disease. The condition of the streets is not so bad as formerly, but it is still very bad in certain districts. Does it not occur to you that there are over 100,000 public spittoons iu the streets of London —SO for every mile of street —in the shape of the street gullies iu the gutter ? These should not be used by asthmatic, bronchial, and consumptive people. Something should be done to dampen the dust of the streets. Dust is increasing as the hard granite pavements are being done away with, and I hope the day is not far distant when the wealthiest city iu the world, which is rapidly becoming the healthiest city iu the world, will have a continuous trickle of water running down every gutter night and day. If that were done, not only consumption, but many other infectious diseases would be partly removed.’’