8th April, 1919. 



THE ROMANCE OF TUBERCULOSIS.' 



By Dr. Andrew Trimble, D.P.H., 



Chief Tuberculosis Officer, Belfast. 



Professor W. St. Clair Symmers presided, and briefly 

 introduced the lecturer, remarking that tuberculosis Avas the 

 most dreadful of all human diseases, and he trusted that one of 

 the results of the lecture would be to reawaken in Belfast that 

 keen interest which they had in the disease some few years ago ; 

 he was perfectly certain that the campaign to which he referred 

 did an untold amount of good. 



Dr. Trimble said he had noticed that the history of a 

 scoundrel was always much more interesting to the bulk of man- 

 kind than the history of a saint. If he was correct hi his 

 observation, then the subject of tuberculosis should be of 

 thrilling interest, for tuberculosis might well be called the diabolus 

 amongst the demons of disease — the scourjdrel amongst the 

 scourges of humanity. It was hoary with age, and yet had all the 

 energy of youth. It attacked the prince in his palace, and the 

 peasant in his hovel — -but preferred the peasant as the easier 

 prey. It neither pitied the young nor honoured the aged, 

 although it preferred to wait till its victim had come to maturity, 

 and, just at the moment when life was inviting and hopes were 

 high, it dashed the cup of youth in pieces to the ground. It 

 attacked the animal as well as man. It settled in every tissue of 

 the body, although it preferred the more delicate and vital 

 parts. It attacked the strong as well as the weak, but preferred 

 the weak. It observed the lifeboat rule, " Women and children 

 first," with an irony that was sardonic. It gave the flush of 

 health to its victim at the moment when it was about to push 

 Jxim over into the grave, and instead of warning its victim of his 



