CONSUMPTION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3624, 9 April 1927, Page 4

CONSUMPTION.

MILK AND INFECTION.

FROM A PATIENT’S POINT OF VIEW.

(Concluded from last Issue)

One of the most prolific sources of supply of T.B. germs is our old friend the dairy cow. When a sportive milkman puts clean water in his milk, he is just about crucified. Dear old “Strawberry,” who puts a supply of deadly germs in her milk each milking, and splutters another lot over the place, gets off scot free. W|hy is not every cow whose milk is used for human food examined by competent persons, and if found infected, killed and the carcase burned in the interest of public health? The writer can quote an instance of live first-class cows belonging to an institution, which were examined, and three out of five found infected. These were slaughtered and destroyed not sold by auction to spread the trouble elsewhere. THE CIVILION PATIENT.

Reverting to the civilian patient: To illustrate, take the case of a young married man, say 35 years, with wife and three young children. He has a home, and, say £IOO saved up. (Not too many of his sort financially these times). He is “spotted,” and is faced with at least six months in a “San.” In a month or two his £IOO looks “pretty sick.” He can do nothing, and his wife and family need not look to the Government for help or sympathy. "What is he to do? He worries—the worst thing he can do. God pity him! How can he help it? He comes out at the end of six months “arrested” if lucky; weak as a cat, and absolutely unfit for anything strenuous either mental or physical for another six months (again if lucky). If his hand is forced, and he tries to earn his keep, he overdoes it, and back he goes probably worse than ever. As a result of this sort of thing, T.B. “suspects” who know what to expect, dodge the doctor and put off fill one bright day a good sharp haemorrhage scares the proverbial “seven bells” out of them, and sends them off full speed for a doctor, when quite likely it is too late for our at present rather futile treatment to do him any good.

Wfclßlv FOR THE CONVALSCENT

On leaving the “San.” he is recommended to get a “light’' position (whatever that may mean) in the open air. It is on a par with ihe proverbial needle in the haystack, and if found the pay is also light and hardly worth considering. In several of the Government Departments there are ideal positions for the convalescent T.B.’s; for instance, in 'the railway and road construction works of the Public Works Department as storekeepers, timekeepers, etc. Why could not these positions be left for T.B. patients, on production of proper medical certificate of suitability and fitness? Also if the Department is afraid of compensation, let them (patients) sign indemnity orders, thus freeing the Department of any responsibility. BARRED FROM THE PUBLIC SERVICE. • The position is: The Public Service Commissioner will not permit an ex-T.B. patient, under any conditions, to take a position, as described above, even though the position is found for him, and even though he is prepared to go entirely at his own risk. The writer of this hopes that the above be made public, and further, hopes that the Public Service Commissioner will challenge it. The Public Works Department (or any other) is not a philanthropic institution, and there is no law to say that they shall help their afflicted fellowo countrymen, but all things being equal, there is no reason why they should not. The attitude of the Government re T.B.’s is not satisfactory. FOUND WANTING.

Tlux.DepartmenL of Public Health, in whose hands and under whose supervision the treatment and euro of T.B. has been carried on, have shown themselves to be incompetent. A drastic, change will have to take place, and the whole business be tackled without gloves in a scientilo and ellicient manner, otherwise this fair country of New Zealand will, in a very' short time, be simply reeking with it. "Who it is who takes the wheel (whether Government Department or Hospital Board) does not matter, as long as they use common sense and play no favourites. A little knowlelge is said to be a dangerous thing, but crass stupidity and pigheadedness is much worse, and sticking • one s head into the sand, like the ostrich, is not a good way of getting over difficulties. NOBOBY IMMUNE.

The general public have a very vague idea of T.B. and what it is. It- is a very easy thing to contract, and it is also very easy to prevent. Nobody is immune from be contracted as a child and break out years after. Sometimes the usual symptoms appear, sometimes none at all, till the ease is well advanced. The writer is well advanced, but has not had a simple symptom yet; no haemorrhage, no colour in sputum, no night sweats, and only a moderate cough, which was put down to cigarette smoking. Yet on testing, his sputum was full of the germ, and on X-ray being

taken, both lungs were well “patched.”

PERIODICAL EXAMINATION. The general public must be encouraged to, and have a proper opportunity of, being examined and tested by a competent medical man every six months or so. This would mean that most' cases would be “spotted” early, and given every chance under proper treatment of a permanent cure. Treatment should be available for every ease found, straight away, whether rich or poor, and if a married man, decent provision made for his family while laid up. Patients should be properly graded, and each class kept by itself, not. horded like sheep into a sanitoriuin all together, good and bad, and when a patient is certified fit to go out, he should be helped towards getting a suitable position and given a chance to become an economic unit again in this country. KEEP PHYSICALLY FIT.

The general public imagine that by flying in the air on the mention of T.B. that they will avoid or dodge the microbe and infection. That is physically, impossible. The whole place, air, land and water is swarming with both. The solution is being physically able to resist and throw off infection.

If one’s system and bodily resistance to disease are tuned up to concert pitch, and one is anything like organically sound, with ordinary care and common sense he need not. fear T.B. It is when one gets into that state known as “run down or played out,” and has the conseCjuent lowering’ in efficiency of tlio “lighting forces” of the body, then lie and they are on the road for trouble sooner or later. FRESH AIR. AND SUNSHINE.

For prevention, the great card is fresh air. I do not mean an odd whiff now and then, but be in it and God’s sunshine every moment you can, day and night (Irisji, perhaps, but good advice). If you are leading an indoor life, get yourself a properly designed sleeping porch, and in a very short time you will sleep nowhere else, winter or summer. One hour’s sleep with the air blowing about you and plenty of clothes on is as good as three in a bedroom with a carbon-dioxide atmosphere. If married, get wife and family on the same thing, and you will be surprised how the minor ills of the family will disappear. Have meals “en famille” in decent weather, out, and see how the food bills go up. The best way to ventilate a modern house is to get outside of it. One need hardly say that personal cleanliness and hygiene is another good card in the game. Don’t be afraid of hot fomentations with hot soapy water and massaging with a scrubbing brush now and then. If you must live in a bedroom, get as many windows that will open properly as on known as a “chamber” out into in known as a “chamber” out into the backyard, place it upside down, and give it s hard a blow with the back of the family wood axe as you can, then ring up the rubbish man. Get a supply of “bed bottles,”-if you must have such a thing for self and others, and leave each covered with a clean towel—both hygienic and convenient. LOOK AFTER YOUR TEETH. Look after your teeth, avoid broken teeth with sharp edges, they will give you a good “double” —both cancer of tongue and help you towards T.B. If you have pyorrhoea, get the whole batch out. “An empty house, etr.” Use reasonable care in what you eat, drink and smoke. Go to a good doctor at least every six months for testing and examination —oftener if you can. If you get wet feet or clothes and no change available, strip off naked. Adam never caught a cold before the Fall —neither will you. NEVER NEGLECT A COLD.

There is the last card now, and it should be written in letters six feet high: “Never, on any account, neglect a cold of any sort.” A socalled cold (which has as much to do with the word “cold” in temperature as it has with grand opera) if neglected, is about as safe a thing to play with as what was known in the war as a Mills bomb with the pin out. One hears of the “cold” which later on settled on his lungs.

The writer may be wrong, but if these few hints arc observed, with others of a more scientific order which will be provided by the medical man, the grim spectre of T.B. will be robbed of a lot of his terrors.