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164 Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
All patients at the Dispensaries received some form of medical
treatment. Cod Liver Oil and Malt were the drugs most employed,
and many children and adults derived much benefit from this
old remedy.
Tuberculin Treatment.
71 Cases of pulmonary and six cases of non-pulmonary Tuberculosis
were treated with tuberculin.
The patients have not been under observation sufficiently
long to estimate the permanent effect of this form of treatment.
The results so far are encouraging. It is important to remember
that treatment with tuberculin is supplemented by hygienic
and medicinal treatment, and any improvement in the patient's
condition is not necessarily attributable to tuberculin.
A considerable number of the total cases were not suitable
for tuberculin treatment. The best results were obtained with
cases who had been ill for a short period.
The following are the facts for 71 cases of Pulmonary Tuberculosis,
treated with tuberculin:—
(1) Tubercle bacilli present in the sputum in 57, absent in 14.
(2) 30 cases improved while under the treatment, 35 showed
no obvious change, and in six the disease advanced.
(3) 41 had symptoms for more than one year, of these 11 or
26.8 per cent. improved.
(4) 30 had symptoms for less than one year, and of these 19,
or 63.3 per cent., improved.
Four of the six non-pulmonary cases improved while under
tuberculin treatment.