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128
It will be seen from the age and sex distribution of these new
diagnosed pulmonary cases that the majority fell into the older age
group. The majority of these new cases were referred here from
their Family Doctors, six having been notified from patients sent by
the Mass Radiography Unit. Two hundred and eighteen ante-natal
patients were X-rayed as a routine measure, but none of these was
found to have any tuberculous disease. Two hundred and twentyeight
persons were examined as contacts of tuberculous patients, 4
of these were found to have tuberculous disease.
Treatment
Periods of treatment of at least 18 months to two years with
anti-tuberculous drugs have been found to be very effective provided
these drugs are taken regularly by the patients. The results
are so effective that surgical treatment is only occasionally required
and the pneumothorax and pneumoperitoneum has been completely
stopped in this Clinic. It is usual for a new patient to be admitted to
hospital at the start of his treatment especially if he is infectious but
it is aimed to keep the time in hospital as short as possible and to
get the patient home and back to work soon and to continue the
drugs as an out-patient. In this respect the tuberculosis ward at St.
Alfege's Hospital has proved of considerable value as it is situated
locally and is within easy access for relatives to visit and enables the
treatment to be continued by the clinic Chest Physician.
Prevention
B.C.G. inoculation of children and young adults who are
tuberculin negative has been continued. It is noticeable that the proportion
of adults who are tuberculin negative is increasing but this
state of affairs is now being changed by the routine B.C.G. inoculation
of school children.
Social work
During the year Miss B. Mould was appointed as Care
Organiser in the place of Miss Fischer who resigned. Besides acting
as Secretary to the Care Committee the Care Organiser deals with
all the routine investigation of the patients' financial affairs and also
there are innumerable problems about which patients consult her
and where her advice and encouragement is sometimes of greater
value than material assistance.
Unfortunately much difficulty arises for patients who are disabled
by breathlessness as the result of previous tuberculous disease
or by other chronic lung disease, in finding work which is physically
suitable, in view of their disability, and financially adequate.