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106
CLASSIFICATION OF NEW PATIENTS.
Pulmonary Tuberculosis.
Daring 1937, 205 new patients were examined at the Clinic
and were found to be in the undermentioned stages of the disease
on the first examination:—
T.B. minus (sputum negative or absent) 55 or 26.8%
T.B. plus 1 (early cases, sputum positive) 10 or 4.8%
T.B. plus 2 (intermediate cases, sputum positive)
101 or 49.2%
T.B. plus 3 (advanced cases, sputum positive 39 or 19.0%
205 or 100.0%
This is 47 more than in 1936.
It is well known that Tuberculosis Officers do not see many of
the new cases in the early stages of the disease. 1937 was the same
in this respect as 1936 ; only 31.6% of the cases were first seen in
this stage. The insidious onset of Pulmonary Tuberculosis makes
it very difficult to detect it in its early stages without careful physical
and X-ray examination.
The initiative to seek treatment when ill rests with the patient
himself, and the remedy partly lies in the education of the public
as to the symptoms and common dangers of Tuberculosis and the
need for securing early treatment. Tuberculosis in its early stage
is readily capable of arrest by proper treatment. It is unfortunate
that 68.2% of the new cases were more or less advanced in the
disease.
Non-Pulmonary Tuberculosis.
There were 21 cases examined at the Clinic and found tn have
Non-Pulmonary Tuberculosis in the following forms:—
Bones and Joints 9
Abdominal —
Other Organs 6
Peripheral Glands 6
21
Tables XX. and XXI. summarise the condition of all patients
whose records are at the Clinic at the end of 1937. These tables