322 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



the Blind was found to be due 

 to trachoma. In the Kentucky 

 Institute for the Blind, a year 

 ago, 45 per cent, of the blindness 

 followed trachoma. 



It is known that trachoma is 

 a common disease of the Ameri- 

 can Indians, and its ravages are 

 only equalled in seriousness by 

 tuberculosis. In some sections of 

 the southwest, from 65 per cent, 

 to 95 per cent, of the Indians are 

 trachomatous. Over 800 cases of 

 the disease were operated upon 

 and treated at the trachoma hos- 

 pital of the Indian Service in 

 Phoenix, Arizona, alone, accord- 

 ing to the report of the Commis- 

 sioner of Indian Affairs for 1911. 

 A recent investigation covering 

 39,231 Indians in 25 states, one 

 eighth of the total Indian popu- 



Italiax. 



Italians. 



lation, showed 8,940 or 22.7 per 

 cent, to have trachoma. At this 

 rate there are 72,000 trachomatous 

 Indians in the United States. 



In 1911 Surgeon M. H. Fos- 

 ter, of the U. S. Public Health 

 Service, made a survey of condi- 

 tions of health and sanitation 

 among the natives of Alaska. Of 

 1,364 Alaskan Indians examined 

 over 7 per cent, suffered from 

 trachoma, and nearly 3 per cent, 

 were blind largely as a result of 

 trachoma. The disease ranked 

 with syphilis and tuberculosis as 

 one of the most destructive to 

 •which the natives are subject. 

 Recently Surgeon John McMullen, 

 of the Public Health Service, has 

 conducted a careful investigation 

 as to the prevalence and serious- 

 ness of trachoma among 1 the 



