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COLUMNS: MONTROSE: Clarence A. Dawley, son of S. A. Dawley, has been in Bucyrus, Ohio several weeks working out his ideas of a “newcycle” gas engine and feels at this time that he has accomplished his idea in engine development. The work of erecting the engine has been conducted for the inventor by the Carrol Foundry and Machine Co., under the superintendency of John Schott. The future of the engine bids fair to be very bright and ought to prove a popular one since it is of a popular size and develops reliable power. AND: Dr. Wm. Lee Richardson was born at Harford in 1815 and died here on March 19. He graduated from Jefferson College in Philadelphia in 1847 and in his long and successful practice he was highly honored by both County, State and International Medical Societies. He was a faithful and conscientious physician, decided, almost brusque at times, yet kind hearted, a lover of children. PLEASANT VALLEY, Auburn Twp.: Spring is here. Woodchucks are out. SUSQUEHANNA: Miss Teresa M. Ryan has gone to Scranton, where she will enter Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, to become a Sister of the Order of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. LAKESIDE, New Milford Twp.: Graduating exercises of the Lakeside graded school will be held at Lakeside on Friday evening, April 2. The class is composed of Misses Bernice E. Ace, Pauline Tiffany and Walter R. Mosher. RUSH: R H. Hillis has sold his hotel here to Silas Kintner, a traveling man who has been with Bean & Co., of Binghamton, several years. He takes possession April 1. DIMOCK: Fikes Brothers are doing a large business here, sawing lumber, judging by the way that the lumber is drawn away from the mill daily. THOMPSON: Owen, the fourteen year old son of Thomas Julley, near Wrighter’s Lake, accidentally hurt his knee a couple of weeks ago, not seriously it was thought, but after a few days it began to pain him, the doctor was called, then a counsel of doctors, but he died Friday morning, his suffering being intense. S. MONTROSE: John Holley’s family is cleaning house and preparing to return home. They have been away two weeks, while their house was cleaned after the scarlet fever. NEW MILFORD: The New Milford Home Talent Minstrel company will give two entertainments at the Opera House this week, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Tickets will be on sale at Blair’s drug store. UNIONDALE: Julius Sheibley has killed eight foxes this season. He and his son, Leon, are quite hunters and trappers but the boys think that Leon will be obliged to bait his trap with something besides a chub to catch a Vanderbilt. Try a duke or count, Leon. GREAT BEND: The funeral of Seth B. Munson was held in Grace Episcopal church on Friday. He would have been 88 years of age on the first of April. He was a veteran of the Civil War [Pvt. Co. B, 58th Regt., PA Vols.] and had a shoe shop here for many years. He is survived by his wife and one son, James, and one sister. NORTH HARFORD: Sidney F. Osmun has made some fine looking violins, and they sound fine too. FOREST CITY: Tracy Wescott and Miss Edith Chapman, of Peckville, were married at Lisle, N.Y., March 10th by the bride’s brother, the Rev. Albert Chapman, of that place. Mr. Wescott was formerly a Forest City young man. BROOKLYN: Our stage driver, Winn Tiffany, has had a telephone placed in his residence. SPRINGVILLE: Last Tuesday morning George W. Fletcher was taken suddenly ill and a telephone call came for medical aid, but it proved of no avail, his death coming with the early dawn. He was a veteran of the Civil War, having been a member of Company C, 203d P.V. and his age was 80 years. Five sons survive. Funeral at Strickland Hill Church. BRANDT: The little town of Brandt has secured a hat factory, which is soon to be opened in the building formerly used for a chair factory and will employ at the outset about 100 persons. LACEYVILLE, Wyoming Co.: When Prof. Clayton Kellar, principal of the Laceyville High School, sat down in a pond of water which had been poured in his chair, was he justified in using a ruler on Edith Russell, a 19 year old pupil, when he found that she had constructed the lake? This is the question now agitating Laceyville. All agree that the professor had good excuse for losing his temper, but many think he acted a little hastily in punishing Miss Russell. At any rate the April grand jury will have to wrestle with the question. The professor was arrested, charged with assault and battery. According to the pupils in Miss Russell’s class, the incident happened a few days ago. Prof. Kellar’s chair originally was plump and nice, but his generous proportions have depressed it until they lent themselves admirably to the lock canal scheme. He stepped out of the room a moment and in his absence some one filled the leather ditch with water. Prof. Kellar noticed a suppressed titter when he returned, but paid no special heed to it. He finally sat down and hit the water with a splash. Naturally there wasn’t room enough for both on that chair. One had to move and it was the water. The titter was now a roar. He rose to the surface and quietly backed out of the room, leaving a damp trail behind him. Several of the favorite boys rushed to his aid with stacks of blotters and after a while he returned with ruler in hand and made direct for Miss Edith. Eye witnesses say what followed was fearful. He didn’t say “hold out your hand” as teachers usually do, but helped himself and as a result she is black and blue in several spots. Prof. Kellar is only a few years her senior and they have met in a social way many times. NEWS BRIEF: The farmer is beginning to show great advancement in the matter of providing his home with modern conveniences. The long prevalent idea that the farmer provided better for his horses and cattle than he did for his wife and children is being abolished. Today the farmer is adding luxuries and improvements to his well kept and finely furnished home that even the better class of business and professional men can ill afford. Nearly every prosperous farmer has furnace heat and a bathroom in his home, things which were a rarity ten or twenty years ago. The lighting problem is now being considered and many have installed acetylene plants and find them a great convenience. An interesting article on the subject should be read by all who contemplate doing away with the fast disappearing kerosene lamp.
From the Desk of the D.A. On August 22, 2006 around 11:30 p.m., Lisa Jones heard a crashing sound outside of her residence. She rushed to her window and saw a pickup truck racing away from the area of her lawn. She then went outside to find her mailbox destroyed and a pine tree partially uprooted. She went back inside and called the police. Five to ten minutes later, a police officer was at her residence. The police officer took a statement from Jones, and then inspected the scene. He discovered that there was a trail of antifreeze leading from the lawn area to the road surface in the direction the pickup truck had traveled away from the scene. The Officer then followed the antifreeze trail for approximately one and a half miles. The antifreeze trail then left the roadway and pulled into the driveway of a residential home. The police officer parked in front of the residence and walked down the driveway. As he approached the residence, he could see the rear portion of a pickup truck that was parked behind the residence so that it was not observable from the public roadway. The police officer proceeded to walk behind the residence to inspect the pickup truck, and he discovered that it had severe front-end damage and that the air bags were deployed. The police officer then walked back toward the front of the house, when a woman exited the residence. The police officer asked the woman who had been driving the pickup truck, and she responded that her husband had driven it, and that he was inside sleeping. The police officer asked her to wake her husband up so he could talk to him. The wife complied and the husband, Charles Lee, came outside. As the police officer interviewed Lee, he noticed that the husband was intoxicated. The police officer arrested Lee for DUI, and a subsequent blood test revealed a blood alcohol content of 0.27%. Lee was then convicted of DUI, and appealed. Lee argued that the police officer had violated Lee’s constitutional rights when he walked to the back of his personal residence to look at the pickup truck without first obtaining a search warrant. The Commonwealth argued that the police officer did not need a search warrant as the doctrine of hot pursuit applied, i.e., a situation where the police are chasing a defendant and he enters a residence to avoid apprehension. The trial court agreed and refused to suppress the evidence. The appellate court disagreed. The Constitution not only protects the privacy of a personal residence, but also the cartilage that surrounds a home against searches without a warrant unless there are exigent circumstances, i.e., such as hot pursuit of a fleeing suspect. In this case, the appellate court determined that there were no exigent circumstances. First, the investigation did not involve a serious crime in that the police only knew that someone had damaged a mailbox and a tree, and did not know, at that time, that the driver was intoxicated. Second, the police failed to demonstrate that there was any danger that evidence was being destroyed, such that it was necessary to forego a warrant to preserve the evidence. Third, the police had no basis to believe that Lee presented any present risk to the general public. As such, the appellate court determined that the police officer’s action of walking behind Lee’s home constituted an impermissible search, and everything that flowed from that action was suppressed. In other words, because the chain of events started with the illegal search, the subsequent investigation and interview were tainted as well. Thus, Lee’s conviction was reversed and the case was remanded for a new trial. In reality, without the evidence, there will be no new trial. If the police officer had simply knocked on the door when he first arrived at the residence, it is likely that he would have obtained the necessary evidence without any constitutional violation. At that point, he could have requested to look at the truck, and the wife probably would have complied. At that point, the “search” would have been permissible and all of the evidence flowing from it would have been admissible. Please submit any questions, concerns, or comments to Susquehanna County District Attorney’s Office, P.O. Box 218, Montrose, Pennsylvania 18801 or at our website www.SusquehannaCounty-DA.org or discuss this and all articles at http://dadesk.blogspot.com/. The Healthy Geezer By Fred Cicetti Q. I’m a healthy, 71-year-old woman and I sweat a lot. I was wondering if it’s something I should discuss with my doctor. Heavy sweating, or perspiration, is normal if you are exercising, in a hot environment, or you are nervous. It also happens during menopause. Healthy people sweat, but the amount varies widely. Some people inherit heavy sweating, especially on their palms and the soles of their feet. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, excessive sweating affects about 8 million Americans. Hyperhidrosis – or sweating too much – can be caused by a health disorder related to your thyroid gland, nervous system or blood sugar. You should go to a doctor if, suddenly, you begin to sweat much more (or less) than usual. Other symptoms that should prompt a doctor visit are a change in body odor, the onset of night sweats for no obvious reason, and sweating that disrupts your life. Perspiration is the body’s cooling process. Glands in your skin produce sweat, which is a clear, salty liquid. Most people have several million sweat glands distributed over their bodies. Sweat cools your body as it evaporates. When sweat mixes with bacteria on your skin, it can produce an unpleasant smell. Sweat, itself, is odorless. If heavy sweating and body odor are problems for you, try over-the-counter antiperspirants and deodorants. If these products don't work for you, your doctor may prescribe aluminum chloride. In 2004, the US. Food and Drug Administration approved Botox (botulinum toxin type A), a drug that erases wrinkles, to treat severe underarm sweating that cannot be managed by topical agents. The Botox is injected into the armpit, temporarily paralyzing the nerves in the underarm that stimulate sweat production. There has been an email circulating on the internet that links antiperspirants to breast cancer. The National Cancer Institute, the FDA and the American Cancer Society say that no existing scientific or medical evidence links the use of underarm antiperspirants or deodorants to the development of breast cancer. Some believe that the myth could have been started by women who were told not to wear antiperspirants or deodorants before a mammogram. The instructions were intended to prevent residue from these products showing up in X-rays and being mistaken for an abnormality in the breast. Here are some tips to deal with sweating and body odor: Don’t eat malodorous foods, such as garlic. Cut back on the caffeine, which can stimulate sweating. Natural fabrics, such as cotton, leather and wool let your skin breathe. Wear clothing made of these fabrics to permit perspiration to evaporate. Use foot powders to absorb sweat. Change shoes and socks often. Remove your shoes occasionally during the day to allow your feet to dry. Because stress can produce perspiration, you should try meditation or other relaxation techniques to relieve your tension. Shower or bathe more often to eliminate bacteria. If you have a question, please write to fred@healthygeezer.com.
The Healthy Geezer Q. I’m a healthy, 71-year-old woman and I sweat a lot. I was wondering if it’s something I should discuss with my doctor. Heavy sweating, or perspiration, is normal if you are exercising, in a hot environment, or you are nervous. It also happens during menopause. Healthy people sweat, but the amount varies widely. Some people inherit heavy sweating, especially on their palms and the soles of their feet. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, excessive sweating affects about 8 million Americans. Hyperhidrosis – or sweating too much – can be caused by a health disorder related to your thyroid gland, nervous system or blood sugar. You should go to a doctor if, suddenly, you begin to sweat much more (or less) than usual. Other symptoms that should prompt a doctor visit are a change in body odor, the onset of night sweats for no obvious reason, and sweating that disrupts your life. Perspiration is the body’s cooling process. Glands in your skin produce sweat, which is a clear, salty liquid. Most people have several million sweat glands distributed over their bodies. Sweat cools your body as it evaporates. When sweat mixes with bacteria on your skin, it can produce an unpleasant smell. Sweat, itself, is odorless. If heavy sweating and body odor are problems for you, try over-the-counter antiperspirants and deodorants. If these products don't work for you, your doctor may prescribe aluminum chloride. In 2004, the US. Food and Drug Administration approved Botox (botulinum toxin type A), a drug that erases wrinkles, to treat severe underarm sweating that cannot be managed by topical agents. The Botox is injected into the armpit, temporarily paralyzing the nerves in the underarm that stimulate sweat production. There has been an email circulating on the internet that links antiperspirants to breast cancer. The National Cancer Institute, the FDA and the American Cancer Society say that no existing scientific or medical evidence links the use of underarm antiperspirants or deodorants to the development of breast cancer. Some believe that the myth could have been started by women who were told not to wear antiperspirants or deodorants before a mammogram. The instructions were intended to prevent residue from these products showing up in X-rays and being mistaken for an abnormality in the breast. Here are some tips to deal with sweating and body odor: Don’t eat malodorous foods, such as garlic. Cut back on the caffeine, which can stimulate sweating. Natural fabrics, such as cotton, leather and wool let your skin breathe. Wear clothing made of these fabrics to permit perspiration to evaporate. Use foot powders to absorb sweat. Change shoes and socks often. Remove your shoes occasionally during the day to allow your feet to dry. Because stress can produce perspiration, you should try meditation or other relaxation techniques to relieve your tension. Shower or bathe more often to eliminate bacteria. If you have a question, please write to fred@healthygeezer.com.
Library Chitchat My nine year old grandson is always asking questions about how things work, especially mechanical things. Sometimes I do not know the answer to his questions, but I try my best to offer an explanation. Frequently, his comeback is, “It’s just technology, Grandma.” Yes, technology has expanded until it reaches into everyone’s daily lives. Technology is also evident at the library. No longer do we thumb through a card file at the library to find out whether or not a particular book we want is available. At each of the four libraries that make up the Susquehanna County Library system, we use computers to find what is available. This computerized catalog not only tells us what is available and at what branch, but whether it is available in large print or in an audio version suitable for your car’s system. Do you need an item that is only at Forest City? Call your closest branch library and they can arrange to have it brought to you. The County Library’s advances in technology also mean that you can check out this same computerized catalog from the comfort of your own home. Use your home computer and check out our website at susqcolibrary.org. Under the yellow banner labeled “Library Catalog,” you can check out the Susquehanna County Library’s catalog, the Scranton Library’s catalog, or even search statewide for the material you need. Interlibrary loans make it possible to bring what you need to you. Remember, the Susquehanna County Library is your resource for lifetime learning.
What’s Bugging You? Dog and deer ticks: PA’s most encountered Although there have been 25 species of ticks identified in PA, there are only 4 species that are commonly encountered. Of those four, only the American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis, and the Blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, are commonly encountered in the northeastern part of the state.
Pictured are: left, an unengorged female American dog tick; right, an unegorged female blacklegged (deer) tick. At center is an actual size comparison of ticks. The unengorged female dog ticks are about three-sixteenth inches in length, but will swell to about five-eighth inches after a blood meal. The males are somewhat smaller, at about one-eighth inches in length. Dog ticks are oval in shape and have flattened, brown bodies with white or gray markings. The females have a marbled cape pattern on the top front portion of their bodies. The same marbled pattern covers the entire upper surface of the males. As its name implies, the American dog tick is commonly found on domestic dogs. It is probably the most frequently encountered tick, often found on people. The American dog tick, sometimes called a “wood tick”, is a 3-host tick. This means that each of the developmental stages requires a different host. The larvae and nymphs crawl about the ground and low vegetation to seek out a small mammalian host. These hosts usually include deer mice, meadow voles, rats, squirrels, rabbits and muskrats. The occasional cat is also a susceptible victim. The adults usually seek a loftier perch on grass stems or low shrubs. As they cling to it with their third pair of legs, they wave their other legs about, ready to grab hold of any passing potential host. The adults prefer larger mammals such as cats, hogs, horses, cattle and sheep. Wildlife, including coyotes, deer, fox, bobcats, raccoons, rabbits, skunks, squirrels and woodchucks, are also susceptible hosts for this tick. These ticks are extremely hardy and can withstand unfavorable conditions. The female lays up to 6,500 eggs over the period of a month. The eggs hatch in the next several months and the larvae (which only possess 3 pairs of legs) wander about seeking a host. The larvae and nymphs can live more than a year without food. Unfed adults can survive for as long as 3 years without eating. Once the female has fed and deposited her eggs, she dies. In cooler, northern climates, a 2-year life cycle is generally the norm. The American dog ticks are attracted to the scent of animals and people. Consequently, they are more likely encountered along paths and trails traveled by potential hosts. These locations gain a further concentration of ticks due to the engorged females dropping off of their passing hosts. Overwintering larvae and nymphs resume activity by the end of March and continue through mid-July. Adults become active in mid-April and escalate in activity through June. Following that peak, adult activity declines until mid-September. The other tick species commonly encountered in this area of the state is the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis. Also known as the “deer tick,” this species is more prevalent in the southeastern portion of PA. At the size of a sesame seed, blacklegged ticks are much smaller than dog ticks. Adult deer ticks lack the light marbled markings on their backs. The females have a black head and dorsal shield. The males are totally black or dark brown. The nymphs are only the size of a poppy seed, and the larvae are about the size of the period at the end of this sentence. The minute larvae live on the ground and feed on the blood of mice, squirrels or birds. The tick eggs hatch from May through September, with August being the time of peak larval activity. Once the larva has had a blood meal, it molts into a nymph and becomes dormant until the following spring. Beginning in May, nymphs begin feeding on larger mammals, including humans. The nymphs have four pairs of legs, a dark head and a translucent body. Extremely difficult to see, the nymphs have the size and appearance of a freckle on human skin. It is during this stage when the majority of host disease infections occur. The nymphs molt into adults during the fall of their second year. During the fall months, the adult females feed and mate on large mammals, including deer, raccoons, dogs and people, with a preference for deer. If they fail to locate a host and feed in the fall, the adults will go dormant until spring. Frost and freezing conditions do not kill the blacklegged ticks. Being slow feeders, it takes 3 to 5 days for the females to complete a blood meal and become engorged. Upon completion of the blood meal, the female tick drops from the host, lays a thousand or more eggs, and then dies. Although they will attach to the host, male blacklegged ticks do not feed on blood. They are only there to seek out a potential mate. Another type of tick that might be encountered in this area is the groundhog tick, Ixodes cookei. This species is very host-specific to woodchucks and is only occasionally found on other hosts, including people. As such, it is not considered to be a significant transmitter of disease. Next time I will discuss the particulars of tick-vectored disease and some precautions against them. Questions, comments and suggestions regarding this article, identifications or any other insect-related matters are welcome. Please email them to bugman95@gmail.com.
Food For Thought No Food For Thought This Week EARTH TALK Dear EarthTalk: Is it true that some baby bottles contain chemicals that can cause health problems for babies? If so, how can I find alternatives that are safer? Amy Gorman, Berkeley, CA No links connecting specific human illnesses to chemicals oozing out of baby bottles have been proven definitively. Nonetheless, many parents are heeding the call of scientists to switch to products with less risk. A 2008 report by American and Canadian environmental researchers entitled “Baby’s Toxic Bottle” found that plastic polycarbonate baby bottles leach dangerous levels of Bisphenol-A (BPA), a synthetic chemical that mimics natural hormones and can send bodily processes into disarray, when heated. All six of the leading brands of baby bottles tested – Avent, Disney/The First Years, Dr. Brown’s, Evenflo, Gerber and Playtex – leaked what researchers considered dangerous amounts of BPA. The report calls on major retailers selling these bottles – including Toys “R” Us, Babies “R” Us, CVS, Target, Walgreen’s and Wal-Mart – to switch to safer products. According to the report, BPA is a “developmental, neural and reproductive toxicant that mimics estrogen and can interfere with healthy growth and body function.” Researchers cite numerous animal studies demonstrating that the chemical can damage reproductive, neurological and immune systems during critical stages of development. It has also been linked to breast cancer and to the early onset of puberty. So what’s a concerned parent to do? Glass bottles are a tried-and-true chemical-free solution, and they are widely available, though very breakable. To the rescue are several companies making BPA-free plastic bottles (out of either PES/polyamide or polypropylene instead of polycarbonate). Some of the leaders are BornFree, thinkbaby, Green to Grow, Nuby, Momo Baby, Mother’s Milkmate and Medela’s. These brands are available at natural food stores, directly from manufacturers, or from online vendors. Most of the major brands selling BPA-containing bottles are now also offering or planning to offer BPA-free versions of their products. Consumers should read labels and packaging carefully to make sure that any product they are considering buying says unequivocally that it does not contain the chemical. Unfortunately, switching to a BPA-free bottle is no guarantee the chemical won’t make its way into your baby’s bloodstream anyway. BPA is one of the 50 most-produced chemicals in the world. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), it is used in everything from plastic water jugs labeled #7 to plastic take-out containers, baby bottles and canned food liners. It is so omnipresent that the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) has found that 95 percent of Americans have the chemical in their urine. Also, nursing mothers – especially those who haven’t discarded their old BPA-containing Nalgene water bottles – may be passing the chemical along through their breast milk. And if that weren’t enough, BPA is also used in the lining of many metal liquid baby formula cans. The nonprofit Environmental Working Group (EWG) has posted email links to the consumer affairs offices of the major formula manufacturers so concerned parents can ask them to remove BPA from their product offerings and packaging. CONTACTS: Baby’s Toxic Bottle Report, www.chej.org/documents/BabysToxicBottleFinal.pdf; NRDC, www.nrdc.org; CDC, www.cdc.gov; EWG, www.ewg.org. Dear EarthTalk: How much “old growth” forest is left in the United States and is it all protected from logging at this point? John Foye, via e-mail As crazy as it sounds, no one really knows how much old growth is left in America’s forested regions, mainly because various agencies and scientists have different ideas about how to define the term. Generally speaking, “old growth” refers to forests containing trees often hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years old. But even when there is agreement on a specific definition, differences in the methods used to inventory remaining stands of old growth forest can produce major discrepancies. Or so complains the National Commission on Science for Sustainable Forestry (NCSSF) in its recent report, “Beyond Old Growth: Older Forests in a Changing World.” In 1991, for example, the U.S. Forest Service and the nonprofit Wilderness Society each released its own inventory of old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest and northern California. They both used the Forest Service’s definition based on the number, age and density of large trees per acre, the characteristics of the forest canopy, the number of dead standing trees and fallen logs and other criteria. However, because each agency used different remote sensing techniques to glean data, the Forest Service came up with 4.3 million acres of old-growth and the Wilderness Society found only two million acres. The NCSSF also studied the data, and they concluded that 3.5 million acres (or six percent) of the region’s 56.8 million acres of forest qualified as old growth – that is, largely trees over 30 inches in diameter with complex forest canopies. By broadening the definition to include older forest with medium-diameter trees and both simple and complex canopies, NCSSF said their figure would go up substantially. In other parts of the country, less than one percent of Northeast forest is old growth, though mature forests that will become old growth in a few decades are more abundant. The Southeast has even less acreage – a 1993 inventory found about 425 old growth sites across the region, equaling only a half a percent of total forest area. The Southwest has only a few scattered pockets of old-growth (mostly Ponderosa Pine), but for the most part is not known for its age-old trees. Old-growth is even scarcer in the Great Lakes. It is hard to say whether the remaining pockets of scattered old-growth in areas besides the Pacific Northwest will remain protected, but environmentalists are working hard to save what they can in northern California, Oregon and Washington. The outgoing Bush administration recently announced plans to increase logging across Oregon’s remaining old-growth reserves by some 700 percent, in effect overturning the landmark Northwest Forest Plan of 1994 that set aside most of the region’s remaining old growth as habitat for the endangered spotted owl. Protecting remaining old-growth is important for many reasons. “These areas provide some of the cleanest drinking water in the world, critical salmon and wildlife habitat, world-class recreational opportunities and critical carbon storage in our fight against global warming,” says Jonathan Jelen of the nonprofit Oregon Wild, adding that as much as 20 percent of the emissions related to global warming can be attributed to deforestation and poor forest management. “A growing body of evidence is showing the critical role that forests – and old-growth forests in particular – can play in mitigating climate change.” CONTACTS: NCSSF, http://ncseonline.org/NCSSF/; Oregon Wild, www.oregonwild.org GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit it at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/thisweek/ or e-mail: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php.
Barnes-Kasson Corner National TB Week March 22 – 28 Barnes-Kasson Hospital is observing National TB Week, March 22 through 28. Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by bacteria whose scientific name is Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. This bacteria was first isolated in the year 1882 by a German physician named Robert Koch, who received the Nobel prize for this discovery. TB most commonly affects the lungs, but also can involve almost any organ of the body. In the past, tuberculosis has been called Consumption, because it seemed to consume people from the inside out. Symptoms such as a bloody cough, fever, and pallor gave TB the nickname Consumption. Other names included phthisis (Greek for consumption), Tabes Mesenterica which is TB of the abdomen , Wasting Disease or the White Plague, because sufferers appear markedly pale and the King's Evil, because it was believed that a king's touch would heal the TB. A person can become infected with tuberculosis when he or she inhales minute particles of the bacteria from the air. The bacteria get into the air when someone who has a tuberculosis lung infection coughs, sneezes, shouts, or spits. People who are nearby can then possibly breathe the bacteria into their lungs. Although close contact with an infected person does increase your risk for getting the infection, it is very hard to get TB by just touching the clothes or shaking the hands of someone who is infected. Tuberculosis is spread primarily from person to person by breathing infected air during close contact. Over eight million new cases of TB occur each year worldwide. In the United States, it is estimated that 10-15 million people are infected with the TB bacteria and 22,000 new cases of TB occur each year. Although there are so many cases of Tb in the US each year, over half of them are from foreign people who have immigrated to the country from TB filled countries. Anyone can get TB, but certain people are at higher risk, including people who live with individuals who have an active TB infection, homeless people, people who are from countries that have a high prevalence of TB, nursing home residents, prison inmates, people with immune lowering diseases such as certain cancers, and HIV infection. Barnes-Kasson Hospital would like to remind everyone to keep themselves protected, and to always cover your coughs and sneezes to avoid the spread of germs during this cold and allergy season.
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