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until recently when she died of another condition at the age of 76. A man born
in 1889 had infectious tuberculosis found in 1916, was regarded as cured in 1946
but relapsed in 1956 and was treated and became non-infectious. He remained so and
was seen frequently until he died aged 77 years of other causes.
Finally it should not be thought that tuberculosis occupies all the time of the
Chest Clinic today. A grand total of 1,495 new cases with chest symptoms was sent
to me by local general medical practitioners for an opinion on the chest and altogether
just under 6,000 people attended the clinic.
I did an analysis of all persons attending in the first 3 months of 1966 and found
that about one quarter were newly referred by doctors, and a quarter were established
cases of tuberculosis attending for supervision and treatment. Rather less than a
quarter were tuberculosis contact cases and the most numerous group were sufferers
from bronchitis and kindred diseases, often disabling and requiring much treatment.
Many cases were investigated in the search for lung cancer. I encountered 83 cases
during the year who told me that they smoked in the region of 30 cigarettes daily
some many more. One man claimed to smoke 100 cigarettes daily. The corresponding
number of females smoking heavily was 33. Where I was successful in persuading
them to reduce smoking, the chest symptoms were greatly eased. Heavy smoking
of cigarettes is rightly condemned by a recent Ministry of Health statement. This
warning should be taken by all if the risk of lung cancer is to be reduced and bad
bronchitis made better instead of worse.
MASS RADIOGRAPHY UNIT