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66
year. All forms of tuberculosis have been made notifiable in
1913. It will take some time, however, before the effective treatment
of tuberculosis is systematiscd and made available for all
the community. And better far than its treatment, is its prevention.
By the time that tuberculosis is recognisable in infants, it has
made such progress that it is practically incurable. The outlook
for tuberculous babies is always very grave. The incidence of
the disease is much influenced by crowding, overcrowding,
housing, work and poverty. And by far the most potent factor
is poverty ; it often includes and is responsible for the others.
Taking a comprehensive view, the prevention of tuberculosis
is largely, though not entirely, the prevention of poverty. In
babies the infection is often from one or other parent, or may be
from a food substance such as cow's milk.
Here is quite a common type of case:—A father was taken
ill with phthisis. For months he struggled on at his employment
until all his savings were spent, and he was now compelled to
enter the poor law infirmary. He stayed here until he was
strong enough to do a little manual work and discharged himself
for home. He had now lost his employment. During his
absence his wife had been confined. He got worse and was
confined to bed. His wife went out as a charwoman and office
cleaner. The father was now too ill to get up and stayed in bed
with the baby, who mouthed and licked the counterpane fouled
by the father's sputum and mucus. The parents were both
sober, steady, industrious, fairly intelligent, and did their best.
The baby got tuberculous meningitis and died. This type of
infection and its consequences could be multiplied many times
in Finsbury.
Other Causes of Death include the following:—
Lymphatism, collapse of lung, sarcoma (cancer), accidental falls,
intestinal obstruction, overloaded stomach, spasm of glottis,
cellulitis, blood poisoning, inflammation of the kidney, lockjaw,
and heat exhaustion.