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alone. The digestive powers of a consumptive patient is often of a
very poor order and is not likely to be assisted if mastication of the food
is imperfectly performed, owing to the state of the teeth.
(b) Tuberculin Treatment.—Every year is proving the value of
Tuberculin as a means of treating Tuberculosis. It is not to be used in
every case, but generally speaking, cases suitable for Sanatorium
treatment (i.e., early cases) do well with Tuberculin, especially if a full
9 or 12 months' course of treatment can be carried out. Therein lies a
difficulty as patients in many instances, when they find themselves
improving have a tendency to cease attending after a few months.
As before remarked, it is not possible to give much information as
to the results of this form of treatment this year for the reasons given,
but it may be said that 44 patients received Tuberculin for a longer or
shorter period and that on the whole the results were satisfactory,
although in a few cases there was a loss of weight. In a few advanced
cases in which Tuberculin was given, mainly as a palliative, the sedative
effect was very marked, in fact so marked in one case that the patient
requested "a strong dose" at each injection.
Respiratory Diseases.
Under this heading are included bronchitis, pneumonia, pleurisy,
and other diseases of the respiratory organs.
The number of deaths registered was 273. Of these deaths 43 were
children under one year of age, 36 over one and under five years, and
94 were persons over 65 years of age.
Bronchitis was most severe in the East and North Wards.
Broncho-pneumonia and pneumonia of all forms were also more
severe in these wards and accounted for more deaths than in any of
the other wards.
Influenza.
This disease, which is an infectious one, accounted for 22 deaths
during the year compared with 24 for the year 1913. Ten of the deaths
occurred between the ages of 25 and 65, and sight of the deaths were
of persons over 65.
Constitutional Diseases.
These diseases form a group which are only second in importance
to those known as the epidemic diseases. They include rheumatic
fever, rheumatism, rickets, diabetes, gout, anaemia, and other defined
diseases.
During the year they caused 685 deaths.
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