A WAR ON CONSUMPTION THE NATURE OF THE DISEASE ITS EXTENT, GROWTH AND SPREAD ITS CURE AND PREVENTION Including Friendly Advice to Persons having Diseases of the Lungs “Take care of the consumptive at the right time, in the right place and in the right way until he is well, and not at the wrong time, in the wrong place and in the wrong way until he is dead.’>—PRYOR PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED BY THE Metropolitan Life Insurance Company OF NEW YORK FOR THE USE OF ITS POLICY-HOLDERS 1912 IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT TO OUR POLICY-HOLDERS: . This pamphlet has been prepared by the Company for your benefit. Read it carefully. It may help to save your life and the lives of your dear ones. Study the pictures, which show clearly the awful ravages of tuberculosis and indicate at a glance the wide range of this dread disease. When you have made yourself thoroughly acquainted with the contents of this little volume, we believe you will be in a position to protect yourself more thoroughly against the so-called White Plague, if you will follow the instructions given. | In addition to this pamphlet we have prepared a list of the sanatoria, tuberculosis hospitals, dispensaries, anti-tuberculosis associations and classes: in the United States and Canada. As yet there are not enough of these for all patients. In some of the smaller cities and towns there are none at all. If you wish such a list and will write to us, we shall be glad to send you one for your city, State and adjoining States. METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY OF NEW YORK TUBERCULOSIS OR CONSUMPTION. ITS NATURE. This disease, known also as ““phthisis,” is caused by a living plant or germ, called the “bacillus tuberculosis,’ which multiplies with great rapidity in the living tissues of animals. The germ is called “bacillus” because it resembles a little rod, TUBERCULOSIS GERMS. TUBERCULOSIS GERMS IN SPUTUM, MAGNIFIED ABOUT 650 TIMES. this being the meaning of the word “bacillus.” A picture of these germs, magnified about 650 times, is shown above. Outside of the human body, the germ may live in warm, 4 METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY. moist, dark places for a longtime. By direct sunlight the germ is killed in a few hours, in a few days by ordinary daylight, and immediately by boiling water. If the germ finds its way into the WHERE CONSUMPTION BREEDS. lungs, it becomes attached and rapidly increases in number. A strong, healthy person will resist the germs, but an individual who is weak will not ordinarily repel them, and the germs will rapidly multiply until the lungs are consumed and the person dies. The germ generally obtains entrance to the body through the mouth and nose, and most frequently lodges in the air passages of the lungs. It may however, get into the glands of the neck, attack the throat, the bowels, the kidneys, the brain, or any other organ of the body, as well as the bones or the joints. Fortunately, strong, healthy people possess the power of resisting these germs, otherwise it is likely that the disease would kill off whole communities: NEARLY EVERYBODY at some period of his life BREATHES IN the living GERMS of the disease, but owing to the power of resistance of a HEALTHY body, the germs are not able to multiply. If they do not imme- diately die they produce little lumps about an eighth of an A WAR ON CONSUMPTION. > 5 inch in diameter called ‘‘tubercles,’’ from which comes the name ‘“‘tuberculosis.” If these form in the lungs, . they continue to grow, soften, break open, and are eventually expelled by coughing or otherwise. For this reason, the sputum, or spit, of an individual who has consumption is filled with the germs of tuberculosis. In the early stages of the disease the germ is found in small numbers in the sputum, in larger numbers as the disease progresses, and in countless millions in the later stages. Unless this sputum is destroyed by burning or by disinfectants, it may become the most common method of carrying tuberculosis to _ other individuals. It is now generally believed that CONSUMPTION IS NOT INHERITED. It is true that the children of con- sumptive parents are frequently of low vitality and generally of poor physique. This does not mean, however, that they are bound to become consumptives. They will get consumption only if the germ enters | their body at a time when it is in poor condition. Being weak, and being unable to re- sist the action of the bacillus, they are more susceptible than indi- viduals who are phys- ically well and strong. There is no reason whatever why such children, if properly cared for, should not grow to be healthy and well-developed men and women who will never get Consumption. By courtesy of the Metropolitan Magazine. 6 METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY. It is possible to HAVE THE DISEASE for some time AND NOT KNOW IT or suspect it. Anexamination of the patient’s chest by a good doctor and a microscopical examination of the sputum may discover it, but if both of these tests fail, it does not definitely mean that tuberculosis is not present. Repeated EXAMINATIONS SHOULD BE MADE from timeto time IF THE EARLIER SIGNS OF TUBERCULOSIS ARE PRESENT. Among these are the following: Slight cough, lasting a month or longer; loss of weight; slight fever each after- noon; bleeding-from the lungs; tired feeling. If these symptoms are present, do not delay, but consult a physician AT ONCE. From what has been said above, it will be seen that as consumption isa GERM DISEASE, it isa COMMUNICABLE DISEASE, and as such a PREVENTABLE DISEASE. - IF IT IS TREATED PROPERLY IN ITS EARLY STAGES, IT IS-A CURABLE DISEASE. THE EXTENT OF THE DISEASE. Tuberculosis is the chief cause of death in middle life. About one-third of all the deaths that occur between the ages of twenty and forty-five years are from tuberculosis. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY THOUSAND PEOPLE DIE EACH YEAR IN THE UNITED STATES FROM TUBERCULOSIS. — Between the ages of twenty and thirty-five, one-half of all deaths are from tuberculosis. During the four years of the Civil War the total loss of life was two hundred and five thousand and seventy. In the period of four years, the tubercle bacillus now destroys in the United States alone over six hundred thousand people. When we hear of yellow fever, we make every possible effort to stamp out the disease at once. The same is true of smallpox and other so-called contagious diseases, and yet it is estimated that the total number of deaths from yellow fever in the United States during one hundred years was only ‘one A WAR ON CONSUMPTION. _ i hundred thousand. The annual loss in money from consump- tion in the United States is estimated very conservatively at $330,000,000. IS IT WORTH WHILE FOR YOU TO HELP us and all others who are engaged in this war against tuberculosis? DEATHS ett Prot. a! ie beat Sus ait bade) aoe tas THE UNITED. SU Pane YELLOW Aa By courtesy of the Metropolitan Magazine a: Ma i: BL) l _ Take the experience of our own Company. At the end of 1911 we had 11,100,387 Industrial policies in force. During 1911, 18.67 per cent. of our deaths of males was from tubercu- 8 METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY. losis, and 15.98 per cent. of our deaths of females; the total per- centage of deaths from tuberculosis, both sexes, was 17.3 per cent. You will understand the awfulness of this scourge best, perhaps, when we tell you that one of our policy-holders died from tuberculosis every thirty-two minutes from the lst of January, day and night, to the 31st of December, 1911. During this period one policy-holder of the Metropolitan died every six minutes, of whom, as you can see, more than every sixth one died of tuberculosis. THE SPREAD OF THE DISEASE. THE GREAT MEDIUM FOR THE SPREAD OF THE DISEASE IS THE CONSUMPTIVE’S SPIT. When the consumptive coughs or sneezes, he fills the air in front of him with particles of moisture almost too small to be seen, which are filled with germs. When he spits upon the floor or the sidewalk, millions of germs are deposited, and are ready to find their way upon the clothes or hands and thus into the mouths and into the lungs, stomach and intestines of children who play upon the floor or walk. The careless consumptive’s handker- chief, the pocket in which he carries his handkerchief, the bedding, and especially the pillow cover, and the towel used by him, are apt to be laden with germs. When a member of the family has consumption and the spit is not carefully collected and destroyed, the house is apt to become infected and other members of the family take the disease. When a consumptive removes or dies, and other persons move into the house, some of them are very apt to take the disease unless the house is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, particularly the floors and walls. Impure air and deficient sunlight favor the development of the germ. For this reason, a consumptive is more frequently met with in the crowded parts of cities, where houses are built closely together and in which air cannot circulate freely, and A WAR ON CONSUMPT ION. 9 where sunlight does not enter. Over-crowded, poorly-ventilated houses, offices and workshops, all help to spread the disease. | A consumptive is much less common in the suburbs where people live in separate houses. HOW THE GERMS OF CONSUMPTION ARE CARRIED FROM THE SICK TO THE WELL. The spit dries and care- less sweeping, dusting or draughts cause the germs to float in the air. Consumptive spitting on floor. Flies feeding on it, carry the germs of the disease to food. The germs may enter the bodies of children play- ing on the floor, through sores or wounds. GIVE US A BITE Others may get the disease by breathing or swallowing the germs. Spray given off in sneezing or coughing, contains germs in a moist and active state. into the mouth after a consumptive has poisoned them with his spit. Dirt, dampness and darkness are three of the most active | friends of the tuberculosis germ. On the other hand, SUN- | SHINE, PURE AIR AND CLEANLINESS ARE ITS GREATEST ENEMIES. It is highly desirable for this 10 METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY. reason that you keep your home perfectly clean and constantly remove from it dust and dirt. Every room should have a thorough spring and fall house cleaning each year. Rooms which have been occupied by consumptives frequently become _ infected with the germs. Such rooms should never be used without having been previously disinfected. Hot water and soap should be used freely. CONSUMPTION’S ALLIES—AVOID THEM AND YOU ARE SAFEGUARDING AGAINST | THE DISEASE. Intemperance and The closed window. other excesses. . Sondet sfeeping, living ’ Mouth breathing, and working rooms. often due to adenoids. REMEMBER THAT THE MOST ACTIVE AGENT FOR SPREADING TUBERCULOSIS IS THE SPIT OF THE CONSUMPTIVE. If this is thoroughly burned or destroyed at once there is little danger of infection. If the body is weakened by overwork, or by dissipation or by excesses of any kind, the individual is more apt to contract tuberculosis than if he keeps himself strong and well. In A WAR ON CONSUMPTION. 11 fact, healthy persons living a proper life when infected frequently » ~ get over the disease so quickly and so readily that they do not even know that they have had it. PEOPLE WHO ARE ADDICTED TO THE USE OF ALCOHOL IN ANY FORM ARE MORE LIKELY TO GET TUBERCULOSIS THAN OTHERS. THE CURE OF THE DISEASE. Consumption is no longer the hopeless disease of the past—IT IS CURABLE. The earlier it is detected in an individual case, the greater are the possibilities for a cure. Therefore, HEI.P YOUR FRIEND, YOUR NEIGHBOR, YOUR RELATIVE, TO REC- OGNIZE AND TREAT THIS DISEASE AT THE START. If you should be unfortunate enough to be afflicted with tuberculosis or consumption, FIRST OF ALL GET THE ADVICE OF A RELIABLE PHYSICIAN and follow his instructions conscientiously and religiously. There is no anti- toxin for treating tuberculosis such as is used in diphtheria. The ONLY CURE we know FOR TUBERCULOSIS IS TO INCREASE THE BODILY STRENGTH, so that the body will resist and gradually destroy the germ. This is a slow process. The best means are plenty of fresh air all the time, plenty of good food, rest, freedom from worry, and out- of-door life. Medicines are of very little use in the cure of consumption. PATENT MEDICINES DO NOT CURE CONSUMPTION. MOST OF THEM ARE ALCOHOLIC DRINKS IN DISGUISE, WHICH ARE DANGEROUS TO THE CONSUMPTIVE. For the best treatment of tuberculosis, so as to afford the patient outdoor treatment as much as possible, special hospitals, called sanatoria, have been erected in all parts of the United 12 METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY. States and Europe. It is highly desirable, in order to cure the consumptive as rapidly as possible, that he be treated in such a sanatorium. ‘There are, however, as yet not sufficient of these to accommodate everybody, and for this and for other reasons it is frequently necessary for the patient to be treated at home. If the latter method be resorted to, it should be done under the advice of a physician. IN CASE OF CONSUMPTION, LOOK TO THESE FOR CURE. THE DOCTOR. SUNLIGHT. _ OUT-DOOR AIR REST The physician will tell you how to carry on this HOME TREATMENT in the best manner. A person who has pul- monary tuberculosis, or consumption, is not dangerous to have in the house if he is careful and clean, and if he follows the usual rules laid down to prevent infection of other members of the family. The patient’s window should be open day and night, and he should occupy the room alone. Preferably there should be no carpet or rug on the floor. The sheets and the body linen should be frequently washed and well boiled. The A WAR ON CONSUMPTION. 13 roca should be dusted with a damp cloth or a damp broom. The dishes from which he eats should be used by him exclusively and should be well boiled. A CAREFUL CONSUMPTIVE—NOT DANGEROUS TO LIVE WITH. Coughs, spits and sneezes into paper ee . . or cloth,— Burns or boils it ‘or puts it into a before it dries,— disinfectant,— — <—e fi ron eee ame a S SS a Washes her hands Always uses the same And sleeps before and after dishes and boils them alone. uh eating,— in water before wash- J, t ¥ ing with other dishes,—° THE PREVENTION OF THE DISEASE To prevent consumption, two things are required: (1) to collect and destroy the germs in the consumptive’s spit, and (2) to: keep the body in good general health, so that it will be able to resist the germs. ' ‘The consumptive, by careless spitting, almost certainly will give the disease to his family, friends or fellow workmen, but if he carefully destroys all his spit, he is harmless. He should preferably use paper napkins, which can be burned immediately. They should not be carried loose in the pocket after using. When coughing or sneezing he should hold one of these before 14 METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY. his mouth. If the handkerchief is ever used for this purpose it should be immediately disinfected, by being placed either in boiling water or in a three per cent. solution of carbolic acid. He should spit into a pasteboard sputum cup, which at the end of each day can be burned, or into a vessel which can be easily and completely cleaned daily. The ordinary spittoon is most difficult to clean, and should never be used by a con- sumptive. When the consumptive is at work or riding on the street-car, or traveling, he should use a pocket sputum cup or flask which can be kept tightly closed until he can empty it at night. Paper napkins and sputum cups are cheap. You can learn where to get them through your physician. THE CAREFUL CONSUMPTIVE IS NOT DAN- GEROUS. Tuberculosis is not contagious by the breath (except when the consumptive coughs or sneezes), or in the Same way as small-pox, or diphtheria, or scarlet fever, but through the sputum. hess Even though every effort is made to collect and destroy the germs, it is probable that EVERY ONE OF US on account of the prevalence of the disease and the large number of con- sumptives who are careless or do not understand the importance of destroying their spit, WILI, RECEIVE AT SOME TIME OR OTHER THE GERMS IN OUR LUNGS. It is most important, therefore, that the lungs be in proper condition and that the general health be good. THOROUGH VENTILATION OF BEDROOMS is one of the most important means to this end. ‘Too often the bed- room is small, dark and unventilated, the windows sometimes being nailed and shut. To nail one’s bedroom window shut is to drive a nail into one’s coffin. WE SPEND MORE HOURS EACH DAY IN OUR BEDROOMS THAN IN ANY OTHER ROOM IN THE HOUSE; yet they are usually the smallest, least lighted, and least ventilated. A WAR ON CONSUMPTION. 15 Sleeping out of doors is urged upon the consumptive, and it is probable that most of us would be in far better condition to resist tuberculosis if we slept out of doors a good portion of the year. . A CHEAP TEMPORARY PORCH PROTECTED. BY AN AWNING AND SUPPORTED BY BRACES SET AT AN ANGLE. Excessive hours of hard work, whether on the farm or in the factory, lower the vitality. INSUFFICIENT FOOD OR INDIGESTIBLE FOOD ALSO INJURES THE HEALTH. The steady drinking of alcoholic liquors, whether or not we become drunk, injures the body. ‘WILL YOU DO YOUR PART? The Light That Never Fails