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45
Tuberculosis in Children. Both Pulmonary and Non-Pulmonary types
are met with in children, but the former type is comparatively rare. It is very
seldom that one finds a child with a definitely recognisable tubercular disease
of the lungs. The L.C.C. very readily provide both observation beds and
sanatorium treatment for children on the recommendation of the Tuberculosis
Officer. A considerable number of children attend the Dispensary during the
year, and are kept under periodical supervision. Many of these little ones
suffer from so mild a type of the disease (glands, etc.) that residential treatment
is unnecessary, and they are recommended for admission to the special
day open-air school in Broomhouse Road,—the school is also much used for
children who have been away to sanatoria, and require different treatment
and environment from the usual Elementary School. During the past two
years, the L.C.C. have also encouraged the admission of Contact children to
the School, as a means of checking or combating the results of Tubercular
infection, which is fairly certain to have been started in the home. Fortunately
the results of early infection or Tuberculization, in the vast majority of cases,
are not serious, and give rise to little or no disability. In fact, it is considered
that such may act as a potential source of resistance in future life. The
Tuberculosis Officer makes a weekly visit to the Open-Air School, at which a
certain number of children are examined in rotation, and the whole school is
gone through in about 5 weeks. The results of this form of Open-Air School
treatment are very encouraging, and it is rare for any child to show evidence
of retrogression.
Bacteriological Department. In the Borough Laboratory, which is
situated at the Dispensary in New King's Road, Miss Robinson has carried
out the examination of 1,672 Sputa for the tubercle bacillus, in addition to a
large amount of other bacteriological work for the Borough. The Tuberculosis
Officer wishes to acknowledge, with great appreciation, the help and care
which Miss Robinson has given in the preparation and carrying out of Mantoux
tests, and for keeping the records of same,—a synopsis of which is given
below.