124 THE ZEMSTVOS DURING THE WAR
tary hospitals, and 112 from all others. The largest number of pa-
tients were suffering from injuries to the peripheral nervous sys-
tem; next came those suffering from traumatic neuroses, and from
wounds of the central nervous system (the brain and the spine), and
finally there were cases of general nervous disorders, such as gen-
eral neuroses, organic diseases of the brain and spine and of the
peripheral nervous system. The overwhelming majority of patients
were discharged benefited by the treatment (373), a considerable
proportion were completely cured, and only 41 cases showed no
improvement.
Treatment for Tuberculosis.
The percentage of soldiers afflicted with tuberculosis ranged be-
tween 2 and 5 per cent of the total of all the sick and wounded sol-
diers. It was readily conceded that the presence of tuberculosis
patients in the general hospitals was a source of danger to the
others, not to mention the fact that it could not possibly benefit the
sufferers themselves, who were in need of special treatment and dif-
ferent care and diet. This is why, on the initiative of the medical au-
thorities of the Zemstvo Union, conferences were called as early as
December, 1914, to discuss problems of treatment for tubercular
patients. At the same time, practical work in the isolation of tuber-
culosis cases was being actively carried on by many of the zemstvos.
Thus, the Moscow provincial zemstvo committee opened on the out-
skirts of Moscow a sanatorium for tuberculosis and proceeded to
open similar institutions at various other places in the province.
Similarly, we find a great deal of care and attention given to this
problem in the reports of the committees from Kharkov, Penza,
Nizhni-Novgorod, Tver, and elsewhere. The Central Committee, for
its own part, refused to wait for any general solution of the prob-
lem and proceeded forthwith to take over at its own expense the
maintenance of a considerable number of sanatorium beds equipped
by the Yalta committee on the southern shore of the Crimea.
The whole question was discussed in all its aspects at a confer-
ence for combating infectious diseases which met on April 29 and
May 1, 1915, on the initiative of the Central Committees of the
Unions of Zemstvos and of Towns.
81 Jzvestia (Bulletin), No. 27, pp. 150-155.
