[page 15] Tuberculosis By Ghislaine Morin Tuberculosis is an infectious and contagious disease common to humans and animals. Doctors in Ancient Greece used the term "Phthisis" (meaning destruction) to characterize the weight-loss aspect of the disease. At that time, tuberculosis was not a major health problem. It was at the time of the Industrial Revolution that epidmiphalglomic circumstances were created favourable for the spread of the disease. In the 17th and 18th centuries, tuberculosis was the cause of a quarter of adult deaths in Europe. Because of these innumerable devastations, tuberculosis was sumumumumed the white plague." It was isolated from other lung diseases by Laennec in 1819. However, the origin of this disease was still being sought. The agent responsible for pulmonary tuberculosis was discovered in 1882. This discovery is due to Koch, who discovered the mycobacterium-Tuberculosis bacillus, more commonly known as the Koch bacillus." This bacillus can reach various organs or tissues, however its preferred territory is the lung where it produces many small tumors or tubers, hence the name of the disease. Pulmonary tuberculosis, called "cc consummation" by our ancestors, is indeed the most common and contagious form. Contagion is usually done by air (cough, boiling ...) and more rarely through the digestive tract (especially from milk). Several factors can promote this TB attack: undernourishment, drugs, overwork, alcoholism, smoking ... Pulmonary tuberculosis has an insidious onset during which the patient experiences increasingly severe fatigue than fortifiers and vitamins are not enough to stop. Then the subject has a weight loss accompanied by a lack of appetite as well as heavy sweating. A dry and frequent cough appears and in the evening the patient feels feverish. Then, over time, the blood-stricning sputum appears. A fols the microbe in you, It multiplies with remarkable speed. If it encounters favourable conditions, it can reproduce in millions of copies in just a few hours. During the mid-19th century and the first half of the 20th century, tb treatment consisted mainly of rest, ideally in regions with clean, fresh air. This period was prolific in the establishment of sanatoriums which were in fact specialized hospitals (e.g. sanatorium Bégin in Ste-Germaine de Dorchester). With the advent of X-rays, this disease was easily detectable. The modeme era of treatment began in 1946 with the arrival of streptomycin (antibiotic medicine). Thus began a large series of pharmaceutical discoveries such as isoniazide in 1952 and rifa"mpicine in 1970. The advent of antibiotics has led to a dramatic decline in deaths and cases in industrialized countries. Prevention was put on the agenda and vaccination was compulsory in 1950. A few months after birth, babies were given B.C.G. (Calmette-Guérin bacillus), a vaccine that contained only non-virulent Koch bacillus that resulted in Immunity against the disease. At the government level, measures are being put in place to screen and treat subjects [page 16] especially for high-risk occupations, such as miners, stonemasons, squarers ... Across the province, X-ray trailers walked around the province performing a free lung examination. Since 1980, vaccination has not been compulsory. Clinical research is more focused on target populations that could benefit from treatment. In order to find out if an Individual has antibodies as a result of contact with a TUBEr, or that he developed it by having the disease himself, or whether he is carrying the Koch bacillus, there is the "PPD" test. This consists of a simple intradennic injection of the forearm. The most important point in TB control has always been the early detection of the disease. Today, there is an upsurge in AIDS-related TB. AIDS patients are 30 to 50 times more likely to have active TB because of their immune deficiency. The disease has continued to wreak havoc in developing countries due to significant problems related to the organization, access and cost of treatment. In 1982, March 24 was established "World TB Day" to draw attention to this global problem. This day was remembered on March 24, 1882, when Robert Koch issued his communication on his . discovery of the tb bacillus that has since its name. The sale of Christmas stamps helps fund research. Let us remember that today, 3 million people die every year and 8 million new cases appear annually. Anti-TB league The Mégantic County Anti-TB League was founded on April 4, 1923, by Dr. Alphonse Lessard (Director of the Provincial Hygiene Service), Dr. Odilon Leclerc (Director of Laval Hospital) and Dr. Beaudoin (Professor of Hygiene at the University of Montréa. The committee is composed of M.R.P. Doucet, President (manager of Asbestos Corporation Ltd), M.J.L. Demers, Vice-President, Mr. Antoine Dumals (notary), Secretary Treasurer, Dr. Alexandre Sirois (Doctor of the League) and Ms. B. Bélanger (for the tuberculosis clinic). The primary goal of this league is to reduce TB mortality by teaching hygiene, correcting an inappropriate diet, tracking new cases and treating them. The Anti-TB clinic is run by Dr. Alexandre Sirols. The goal is to locate patients by doing a free and voluntary check-up of all those who come forward.1 1-Adams, Cléophas , Thetford Historical Mines and Biographies, Publisher Le Mégantic, p. 151-155 [page 31] Stage aux Archives nationales de France Internship at the National Archives of France: by Stéphane Hamann On July 1, 1999, I returned to Quebec after completing a three-month internship at the National Archives of France, which were located in Paris. It was as a representative of the Association of Archivists of Quebec and through the collaboration of the National Archives of Quebec that I was able to live this extraordinary professional experience. I must already talk about my internship as a memory. It's hard to explain in a few lines what I've been through during these three months. I think it's even more difficult when it's the first time we set foot on the European continent. The course is also Paris, with its climate where it is dark in the summer than around 23:00; food with good bread, pastries, wine and cheese; Its architecture and parks; it is also its population, with its 6 million Parisians, not to mention the millions of tourists; its history with its many museums and monuments ... But what I remember first and foremost is the friendship that has developed between colleagues from different countries. Thirty-two trainees from twenty-five different countries took part in this 49th international technical archival course: Germany (2), Belgium, Brésll, Cameroon. Canada (2), Chile, Colombia, COte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Spain (3), France (4), Haiti, Hungary, Iran, Utuania, Moldova, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Senegal and Togo. The purpose of the internship was to familiarize ourselves with the French archival system, to discuss the main themes of our profession (archive collection, processing, sorting and selection, dissemination, conservation, digitization ... ) and to discover French culture especially during the study trip organized around Rouen, Evreux, Le Havre, Etretat and Jumièges. [photo] International Technical Archive Internship 1999 Source: Historical Centre of the National Archives of France - Photography Workshop. According to the latest statistics, 2,752 linear km of archives (imagine, an archival shelving that covers the distance between Quebec City and Winnipeg City) are distributed among the following services: National Archives Departmental Archives Communal Archives Regional Archives Other services It is very important to know these archives before you do your research. If you need information on how to search, in France or in other countries, please contact me through the Genealogy and History Society of the Thetford Mines region. File to follow ...