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49
The following are summarised conclusions relating to human infections :—
(1) Contact with a previously diagnosed case of tuberculosis in the family
is of sufficiently common occurrence in the history of new patients to stimulate
examination of contacts in the attempt to find early cases.
(2) In the age groups 16 to 30, 21 per cent of new male positive sputum
cases and 24 per cent of similar female cases arise from families in which there
have been recent previously known cases in parent, husband or wife, brother or
sister, or child.
(3) Approximately three-quarters of such previously known cases are
or were sufferers with positive sputum disease.
(4) Every effort, therefore, should be made to examine and supervise, over
a considerable period of time, contacts; especially—having regard to the
frequency of the disease at this period of life—young adult contacts, of living
positive sputum cases or of those recently dead from the disease.

Non-
pulmonary
tuberculosis
It will be seen from the above table that there has been a steady and continuous
decline in the number of notifications of non-pulmonary tuberculosis in London
since 1913. Since 1925 the decrease has been more marked in children, particularly
in respect of bone and joint affections. The first occasion on which non-pulmonary
tuberculosis in adults exceeded that in children occurred in the annual return of
notifications for 1933. It is not possible to say whether or not this feature will be
permanent.