Show BRINGING DISEASE INTO THE WEST Recently James H. H Wallis Wa ol of o Salt Lake attended the meeting of o othe the American Association ot of Social Soda Work ork at Denver and on his return home made mado a report to the executive tire tive committee of ot the forces fight fight- fighting fightIng ing tog tuberculosis in Utah Mr Ir Wal w l. l lis ha comments on the statements statement made by br Miss Slits Jessamine S. S S Whitney Whit who uey ney on migrant consumptives consumptive are coming westward lIe He says For over a decade the health workers of the southwest and espe espe- especially especially daily the tuberculosis workers have been holding up their hands in n helplessness and crying out against the tho influx of oC the lous lou But Dut they continue to comein come comein in it increasing numbers not only on the he train but in cheap automobiles in m n various degrees of dilapidation camping in our tourist parks with without without out any supervision or restrictions the results of oC which no one knows but hut which can be reasonably fore fore- told old Inasmuch as these health seekers are for the th most mast part In to reduced circumstances and many are without any funds they are becoming be be coming a serious financial and health burden on the various com corn communities to which they the migrate This is now deemed to be the most serious and leading social problem In the United States Determined to find out to what extent this problem was a burden financially and otherwise Miss dIss Whitney was wat detailed by the National Tuberculosis losis I osis association to study the tho situ atlon aIon and made a report of her findings finding Miss Whitney selected six cities which seemed to be centers of the migratory problem These clUes cities were Denver Colorado Springs Phoenix Los Log Angeles Angelu El EI ElPaso ElPaso Paso and San Antonio She made madea a very ver thorough and searching study of ot the records of all social agencies which might deal with the thc poor and lound out jut that during a single year i individuals were cared for by municipal agencies two- two thirds thirds of ot whom has resided in those cities less than two years This means me means ns an aa average of one indigent in Igent person to every of the tho entire population of those clUes Cities Phoenix had one cases of at indigent tuberculosis to overy very 58 of ot population n and Colorado Springs having over j had one Indigent per persen sen cn to every 78 of Its population The Tho he fatality rate in Phoenix in 1 1924 was one known death in every six e cues cases and In Colorado Springs ono ono one death in ovary every seven cases Another Important feature die dla dl I closed by Miss Whitneys Whitney's study was raa tho the fact tact that many lous luus persons bring their families with them and thus add not only to the financial burden of them themselves selves to tho the community but also tile the care of the added members o of the tM family Miss Whitney found that It Is moro often oCten the tha woman health seeker se ker Is Ie accompanied by her family CamUy and that seventy per percent percent cent cat of the women brought some gone or Mt ill all of ot their family with them end and only thirty per cent of men nien In other words words besides the or more health seekers with they brought themselves them them otner other members of ot their Immediate families over of this number being children under of 16 it years of ot age ae The rhe enormity this added burden In burd burden n In takIng lakins care of ot contact cues cases can cnn only be understood un un- understood Understood with the by b one familiar preventive work of or public agencies A particular feature ealure ot of the determine from t om which study tudy was to 0 section of the country the be migration migra Lion tion was taking place and it was round cund that a 3 few tew states only were weI responsible for it In their order they were JIIn New York Mis 1 Missouri Ohio Pennsylvania and Michigan Miss Whitney found that one one- hird third of these migrants applied pp for aid Id before beCore they had bad been In the tate state 00 SO days da thus showing that hey they came without any funds for caring ering for Cor themselves In n El EI Patio Paso 4 42 2 per cent of all 1111 cases cass handled by y the tho associated charities were vero transient tuberculosis and 65 per percent tnt cent of the budget is spent on hem them Probably the saddest and worst reported Miss MIllS part srI of or the story was the Inability to get adequate facts In regard to what happened ultimately to these tu tu- migrants From the rec- rec records it was found that 54 per cent were ere lost trace of ot 13 per cent bad had haded died ed 10 per cent were known to have bave away 5 25 5 per cent remained in the city In n one county countr of Arizona third one of ot all deaths resulted from tuber tuberS while the death rate rale of the state stale is over per death rate Is la now about 36 26 6 per None rone e of the cities studied have anythIng like adequate provision provision- medical relief or Institutional to to care are for persons whether resident or resident non and nd yet every train carries an appreciable ap aI pr number of ot and nd the social and medical agencies in the tho cities are overtax- overtax overtaxed ed d to meet the pressing needs of off f ih h. h Av C- C seek the thA cli dl mate to restore them to health It Its ItIs Itis Is s now well known that climate alone lone is not able to cure The pa pa- patient lent tient must have freedom from wor- wor wory ry y rest proper food clothing and housIng lousing as well as the effect of ot climate to be successful In his quest The migratory indigent tu tu- is coming with none of these hose other necessary aids to cure ure Many state tuberculosis associations asso- asso among them the Utah Pub Pub- Pubic lie Hc ic Health association says Mr Wallis Vallis have attempted to stem the he tide by distributing folders and andy by y correspondence setting out the advantages of treatment at home I with adequate care and freedom I fr worry as against an attempt at the cure in our mountainous country without funds These disclosures prove that ad ad ad- an as a good rood place olace for or those afflicted with lung trou- trou trouble trouble ble ile Is a mistake Tuberculosis is being imported throuGh the migrant patient and In Ina Ina ina a community such as Phoenix Ariz the entire population Is en en- en Ogden Is comparatively free from rom the disease and should be kept eo so A few years ago many Mexicans were Imported as labor labor- laborers ers era and they and their famines famIlies do- do de developed developed numerous cases of tuber tuber- tuberculosis But Dut with the wiping out o of that menace Ogden has bas had only a normal death rate from the tho disease dis I ease i It |