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172
Sex and Age distribution of the 455 applicants.
Table II shows the age and sex distribution of the applicants for
treatment, and also exhibits the incidence of tuberculosis at each age
group. It is interesting as showing the large proportion of children
under 10 who were examined (187, or 41 per cent.). It is obviously of
the greatest importance in the attempt to eradicate tuberculosis to bring
under review for examination purposes as many children and adolescents
as possible, as in the detection of early cases among this class of the
community lies one of our most useful preventive measures. A considerable
proportion of the children included in this number were actually
living in the same house with infective cases of the disease, and so under
conditions where infection was liable to occur. It will also be noticed
that the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis increases markedly from
infancy into childhood and adolescence, and decreases after the age of 40.