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115
SECTION YI.
PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF TUBERCULOSIS.
The Tuberculosis Clinic is situated at 13, Katharine Street.
The premises are not ideal, being cramped and noisy, though
measures have been taken to reduce noise getting into the consulting
room. The erection of three dressing cubicles has added to
the comfort of the patients. Sessions are held daily in the
mornings and afternoons except on Monday mornings and Friday
afternoons. An evening session is held on Tuesdays. The Dispensary
is a sorting house for cases. To it come patients sent by
doctors, cases under observation and cases under treatment at home.
From it patients are drafted to various Sanatoria and Hospitals or
back to their private practitioner. It is essentially a consultative
and not a treatment centre.
A tuberculosis scheme, however complete, will break down
unless the co-operation of the public and of the general medical
practitioners, is obtained. The public can help by availing themselves,
without delay, of the facilities afforded. The assistance
practitioners can render from the preventive aspect is in three
main ways:—
(a) To secure the proper disposal of the sputum.
(b) To see that an infective patient has a bedroom to himself,
or, if this is impossible, at least a bed to himself, and to
emphasise the need for free ventilation.
(c) To advise an infective patient not to handle milk or other
foodstuffs or to have the intimate care of young children.
I am indebted to Dr. J. C. McMillan, the Assistant M.O.H.
for Tuberculosis, for the greater part of this section.
OBSERVATIONS ON TUBERCULOSIS MORTALITY.
The decline in the mortality from tuberculosis which appears
to be taking place in England occurs at different ages, some ages
shewing it more than others. Different forms of tuberculosis are
responsible at different ages for the decline, and amongst young
women, in the 15-30 age period the decline has apparently ceased.
Fhe curve of tuberculosis mortality for males and females at
different ages shew three definite peaks of mortality and indication
of a fourth. The first peak occurs in the second year of life, the
second in young adult life, the third in middle age and the fourth