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73
make his life a burden to him and mark him out as
an "unclean" thing. It would be almost impracticable
to notify the disease, nor is the advantage
to accrue thereby evident. Any given case may go on
for several years after it has been diagnosed, may become
quiescent for a time, only to recur after some
lung affection of a non-specific nature, or may
recover permanently. From a tuberculous person
the disease is spread by either the sputum or by
discharges from specific sores—the latter source
of infection being very rare and almost negligible.
The source of infection is, therefore,
narrowed down to the sputum, and it may be
said at once that the whole question of checking
the spread of this disease from individual to
individual resolves itself into a question of safely
disposing of the sputum. It has beeu abundantly
proved that the action of direct sunlight is fatal to
the bacilli of this disease, and that the dust of a
room occupied by a tuberculous patient who is
careless as to where the expectoration goes is full
of bacilli. These two facts indicate how the disease
may be dealt with to a certain degree. If the
sputum be not ejected on to the floor, especially
into dark corners where it can dry and become
pulverised, but be destroyed by fire or disinfectants,
and if the rooms of such patient be kept
scrupulously clean and be exposed to as much
sunshine as possible, then will a very large