318 



Life and Health 



windows closed. Fresh air and sunlight, things which we now 

 know are so important in curing the disease, were shut out. 



495. What is Tuberculosis or Consumption? "Tubercu- 

 losis " and " consumption " are two names for one disease. It 

 is caused by a germ or microbe spoken of as the tubercle bacillus 

 or consumption germ. This germ is a very tiny plant. It is 

 so small that it would take 3000 put end to end to measure 



one inch. This germ does not 

 readily grow outside of living 

 bodies ; but when it gains 

 entrance into the body, it may 

 grow and multiply. At last it 

 destroys the tissues and thus 

 causes the disease usually 

 spoken of as tuberculosis. 



The germ which causes 

 tuberculosis was discovered by 

 Dr. Robert Koch (Koke\ a 

 famous German physician, in 

 the year 1882. He showed that 

 a special germ (tubercle bacil- 

 lus) was always present in every 

 case of tuberculosis. Up to this 

 time nobody knew what was the real cause of consumption. 

 This great discovery has made possible the present wide- 

 spread crusade against this infectious disease. 



496. What Parts of the Body may be attacked by Tuber- 

 culosis ? Any tissue or organ of our bodies may be infected 

 by the consumption germ. The name given to this disease 

 depends upon the tissue or organ attacked. Thus, " hip dis- 

 ease " is tuberculosis of the hip ; " white swelling " of the 

 knee, tuberculosis of the knee; and "lupus," a skin dis- 

 ease, tuberculosis of the skin. The most common form of 



FIG. 170. Dr. Robert Koch, 

 Discoverer of the Tubercu- 

 losis Germ. 



