84 ILLINOIS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 



rest in bed, patients Avere given wholesome food and 

 plenty of it. Their mmds as far as possible, were put 

 at ease by allowing the patients to do whatever mental 

 work was best suited to their mental capacity. If they 

 were unable to read or write, one of the many faithful and 

 self-sacrificing Red Cross volunteers Avas sent to their 

 bedside where for hours, day after day, and week after 

 week, if necessary, these women would bring to bear 

 every maternal instinct in order to keep the boys in a 

 contented state of mind. If the patients were able to 

 use their hands and so desired, they Avere alloAved to knit, 

 crochet, do basket Avork, draAV, or work at some similar 

 form of entertaining employment under the direction of 

 one of the corps of Eeconstruction Aides. 



Once a patient had reached a state of recovery that 

 classed him as a case without moisture or rales, he was 

 alloAved to take part in one of the imiumerable physical 

 activities arranged for his benefit. These consisted of 

 cA^erything from graduated marches to the regular Avork 

 in the shop, automobile department, or camp activities. 

 The end and aim of all this treatment Avas to give the 

 natural forces CA^ery chance, and to giA^e every aid to the 

 immune forces of the body to produce the ferments by 

 which groAvth and extension of the tubercle bacillus 

 could be checked. This alone Avas the specific treatment 

 for tuberculosis.^^ 



Next, such protectiA^e measures as Avill separate the 

 tuberculous Avith open lesions from contact with the unin- 

 fected infant, so that the infant Avill not at any time ac- 

 quire a massiA^'e infection of tubercle bacilli from the 

 excreta of the adult. For the protection of the adult 

 against tuberculosis, there is primarily the maintaining 

 of physical resistance, AA^hich resolves itself into the civic 

 problem of housing, Avages and conditions of work, and 

 Avhich makes incumbent upon you as free citizens, as Otto 

 R. Reichel of the Ncav York Board of Health expresses 

 it, the following duties : 



« Manifest Pulmonary Tuberculosis, Col. G. E. Bushnell in The Mili- 

 tary Surgeon, April, 1918. 



