The Daily Ardmoreite

Then, thirty-two years ago today was discovered the fatal germ of tuberculosis which had caused more deaths since the beginning of the human family than any other disease. Its discoverer was Dr. Robert Koch, of Germany, who spent two years in patient laboratory research before he finally located the little destroyer, too small to be seen by the naked eye, by the researcher's method of straining the suspended germ with chemicals. The discovery changed the whole world's attitude toward tuberculosis. Since the days of the ancient Assyrians the destroying germ has ravaged humanity. Moses witnessed its fearful devastations among the Egyptians, and in all the successive generations at least every sixth human being was at some time affected by its presence in the blood. Less than half a century ago the disease was regarded as "fatal and hopeless." Oliver Wendell Holmes, who was a physician as well as an author, described the average medical practitioner's acceptance of its fatality in his tale of the "Professor at the Breakfast Table." Some people regarded it as a divine affliction upon the human race, and an indication of mankind's degeneration. Thirty years ago Europe was reporting over 1,000,000 deaths every year from tuberculosis, while the United States was reporting at the rate of 450 every day.

Today the civilized nations of the world are conducting a universal war against the tubercle bacilli. Millions of dollars are being spent to conquer this enemy of the human race. In the United States over $20,000,000 is being expended annually for this purpose. Science and common sense are forcing the little germ to retreat. The death rate in twenty years has fallen from a ratio of 245.4 to 158 per 100,000 population. Expert medical researchers are at work searching for a specific cure, while the nations are conducting a vast educational campaign to prevent the spread of the disease. Physicians have long known that the bacilli lurk in everyone's system waiting for the vitality to sink to a low ebb when they can begin their fearful scourge. Consequently, the universal campaign to make everyone strong enough to resist the destroyers. The world has thrown open its windows to let in sunlight and fresh air, knowing that these are fatal to the bacilli. The old fear of "night air" has given way to the practice of living, sleeping and working out of doors where the bacilli cannot follow and live. Economically considered, it is a great fight to save to the United States alone over half a billion dollars, which an authority has said is the annual money loss to the nation through the loss of the afflicted individuals' wages and the value of production.