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74
Contacts.
All contacts are invited to attend for examination at the Tuberculosis
Dispensary.
Sixty-six contacts, viz., 29 adults and 37 children under fifteen years of age,
responded to this invitation and were examined for the first time during the year
1926. Of these, three adults and two children were found to be definitely suffering
from tuberculosis; five adults were doubtfully so suffering. Fifty-six were definitely
diagnosed as not suffering from the disease. The routine examination of contacts is
desirable as a means of discovering not only cases of tuberculosis in early stages of
infection, but also advanced and infective cases which may be disseminating
infection although remaining undiscovered and untreated.
Arrangements were continued during the year for fuller co-operation with the
school medical service so as to ensure that no contacts of school age will remain
unexamined; if such examination cannot be carried out at the Dispensary the
School Medical Officers are notified so that the examination may be carried out at
the school. Information as to the results of such examinations, whether at the
Dispensary or the schools, is interchanged as necessary.
Prevention of Spitting.
The necessity for the prevention of spitting, with a view to minimising the
spread of tuberculosis, has been emphasised by the issue of warning cards on the
subject. These have been exhibited in the various buildings in the control of the
Council, also in common lodging houses, and in the workrooms of a number of
large firms in the Borough. In addition specially designed opal plates have been
placed on the Council buildings. They ask people not to spit and so prevent
not only tuberculosis, but pneumonia and other diseases the germs of which are
carried in the mouth and nose. It is very conceivable that such a disease as
encephalitis lethargica is spread in this way in towns.
Deaths from Pulmonary Tuberculosis.
The number of deaths from pulmonary tuberculosis during the year was
26, a death rate of 0.60 per thousand in comparison with 1.04 for 1925.
The following table shows where the patients died in their own homes or
institutions:—