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A war on consumption

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A

\V'?o

n Consumption

i

AN INVITATION.

This is an invitation from Good Health. It is to welcome you to the parks, the fields, the forests and the mountain tops-out into the sunshine and pure air.

Make this booklet your guide. It will show you how to avoid ill health which often leads to the disease called "Consumption," or "Tuberculosis."

Consumption can be cured. It can be prevented.

METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY

Copyright, 1921

BY THll MllTROPOX.ITAN LIPll INSURANCE COMPANY

Cover design by courtesy of the

Tuberculosis Committee of the Brooklyn Bureau of Charities,

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Consumption or

Tuberculosis

JI'

WHAT IT IS.

Consumption is caused by living germs. Outside of the human body, the germs may live in wann, damp, dark places for a long time. They are killed immediately by boiling water, in a few hours by direct sunlight and in a few days by ordinary daylight. If they find their way into the lungs, they become attached and rapidly increase in number. A strong, healthy person will resist the germs, but a person who is weak will not ordinarily with­ stand them, and the germs may eat away the lungs until the person dies.

A baby is not born with consumption. Children of consumptive parents are often born weak and may not be able to resist the germs when they later enter their bodies. But, if these children are well cared for, they should grow to be healthy men and women.

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How the Germs Work.

Consumption germs generally enter the body through the mouth and nose, and most often lodge in the lungs. They may get into the glands of the neck, attack the throat, bowels, kidneys, brain or other organ, as well as the bones and the joints. Nearly everybody at some time swallows or breathes in the germs of consumption, but, owing to the power of resist­ ance of the healthy body, the germs are not able to n;mltiply. Otherwise many more people would die of the disease. In the lungs, the germs form little lumps called tubercles, from which the name "tuberculosis" comes. There they grow, soften, break open, and are finally expelled by coughing. For this reason, the sputum, or spit, of an individual who has con­ sumption is usually filled with the germs.

In the early stages of the disease, the germ is found in the spit in small numbers, and in millions in the later stages. Unless this spit is destroyed by burning or by disinfectants, it may become the most common method of carrying consumption to others.

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The Extent of Consumption. Tuberculosis is one of the chief causes of death in middle life. About one-third of all the deaths that occur between the ages of 15 and 45 years are from tuberculosis. It is estimated that 100,000 people die each year in the United States from tuberculosis. Between the ages of 20 and 35, about one-third of all deaths are from tuberculosis.

When we hear of yellow fever, we make every possible effort to stamp out the disease at once. Yet it is estimated that the total number of deaths from yellow fever in the United States during one hundred years was only 100,000.

Take the experience of our own Company. One out of every eight deaths is from tuber­ culosis. You will understand the awfulness of t.1.is scourge best, perhaps, when we tell you that a policy-holder dies from tuberculosis every half hour from the lst ofJanuary,dayand night, to the 31st of December.

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Allies of Consumption-Avoid Them.

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Closed windows. Mouth Breathing.

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Signs of Consumption. .�

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It is possible to have consump- \

tion for some time and not know it. , , The early signs of consumption , \\ � are the following: A cough, lasting � Q •

a month or longer; loss of weight; slight fever each afternoon; spitting blood; tired feeling. If you have

these symptoms, consult rr==-==��l==a=--<1

a physician at once. An Overwork. examination of the chest

by a good doctor and a test of the sputum under the microscope may discover it, but if both of these tests fail, it does not definitely mean that tuberculosis is not present. You should be examined from time to time if the earlier signs of tuberculosis are present.

Consumption is a germ disease. It is com­ municable or "catching," and, because it is caused by a germ, it can be prevented.

If it is treated properly in its early stages, consumption is curable.

Smoke and Dust.

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Treatment of Consumption.

The ear!ie- consumption is noticed the easier it 1s

cured. If you believe you have tu­ berculosis or consumption, get the advice of a good physician and follow his instructions thoroughly. The only cure for tuberculosis is to in­ crease the bodily strength, so that the body will resist and gradually destroy the germ. This is a slow

process. The best means are fresh Eat Body-building

air, good food, rest, and out-door life. Food.

Patent medicines do not cure consumption. Most of them are dangerous.

For the treatment of tuberculosis, special hospitals. ,

called sanatoriums, have been built. It is advisable, in order to cure the consumptive as rapidly as possible, that he be treated in such a sanatorium. If this is im­ possible, the patient may be cared for at home. This should be done under the direction of a physician. Freedom from worry is more important than climate. Many people recover without leaving home.

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Keep the Disease from Others.

When a consumptive coughs or sneezes, he fills the· -air with germs. If he spits upon the floor or sidewalk, the germs may find their way to the clothes or hands and thus into the mouths of children who play there. The careless consumptive's handkerchief, bedding, pil­ low cover and towel are apt to be covered with germs.

The' most active agent for spreading tuberculosis is the spit of the consumptive. The consumptive, by careless spitting, almost certainly will give the disease to his family, friends or fellow workmen, but if he carefully destroys his spit, he is harmless. When coughing or sneezing, he should hold a paper napkin before his mouth. If a handkerchief is used, it should be disinfected by boiling water or a three per cent. solution of carbolic acid.

When a consumptive moves or dies, the house, par­ ticularly the floors and walls, should be thoroughly disinfected and cleansed with hot water and soap.

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A person who has consumption is not danger­ ous in the house if he is careful and clean, and if he follows the rules to prevent infection of others in the family. He should occupy a room alone. Preferably there should be no carpet or rug on the floor. Clean the room with a damp cloth or a damp broom. Keep the windows open day and night. The sheets

and the body linen should be boiled and well washed. The p atient's dishes should be used by him alone and should be well boiled after using.

The greatest care should be taken that the consumptive spits into a container and that the spit be destroyed and the con­ tainer burned or thoroughly

Always Use the Same Dishes and Wash Them Separately.

And Wash the Hands Before and After Eating.

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Consumption Can Be Prevented.

To prevent consumption, two things are required: (1) destroy the consumptive's spit, and (2) keep the body in good health, so that it will resist the germs.

The consumptive should spit into a pasteboard sputum cup, which can be carried while traveling and can be burned at the end of the day.

Bedrooms should have plenty of air. Vle spend

more hours each day in our bedrooms than in any

other room in the house. "

Dirt, dampness and darkness are three of the most active friends of the tuberculosis germ. Sunshine, Pure Air and Cleanliness are its Greatest Enemies. Keep your home perfectly clean.

Above all, be happy, Enjoy the sunshine and the open air. Enjoy your food. Enjoy your rest. A b

happy disposition is the very best tonic one can have.

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Final Rules

Avoid overwork. It weakens the body. Eat food that builds health.

Live, work, play, sleep and rest whenever possible in the open air. Teach children to do the same.

Sunlight and fresh air are the cheapest and best medicines. Use them freely.

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1 MAQISON AVENUE NEW YORK 305

.0�;1-\�} �•.!' Wht PRINTSD IN � .S.,A.

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