View report page

71
(b) Examination of class or school contacts of pupils recognised
to be suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis. At a number of schools in
this district all the pupils have been examined following the discovery
that one pupil was suffering from the disease. As the findings were
negative, recent investigations have been limited to the immediate class
contacts. Although a number of such examinations have been undertaken
here, no cases have been discovered by this means. It might be
more profitable for efforts to be concentrated on the examination of the
teachers or other adult members of the staff.
(c) Positive tuberculin reactions indicate previous exposure to the
tubercle bacillus. A positive reaction in a young child might then be the
result of a home infection so that the routine tuberculin testing of young
children followed up by the examination of the home contacts of the
positive reactors might lead to the detection of unrecognised cases.
Where tuberculisation is high, such enquiries might not be worth
while, and in such circumstances the following-up of the contacts of a
child whose reactions have recently changed might be more fruitful.
(d) Examination by mass radiography. Throughout the country
mass radiography units examine 5,000 persons each week. Since the
first unit started work in 1943 ten million people have been examined and
previously unsuspected tuberculosis has been found in 3.3%. This
proportion is falling slowly. The unit which serves this district visited
Harrow this last year. Ten sessions were held at the Victoria Hall, Station
Road, Harrow, between September 1st and 11th, and ten sessions at
Grant Road School, Wealdstone, between September 29th and October
5th. 6,770 persons attended at Victoria Hall, of whom 5,383 were
members of the general public, the others being employees of local firms
or bodies. Of these 85 were referred for further investigation out of
245 who had been recalled for the taking of large films. 2,010 attended
the Grant Road School. Of these 1,480 were members of the general
public, 110 were teachers and 420 were employees of local firms. 124
were recalled for the taking of large films, 64 of these being referred for
further examination. The unit also visited the Ministry of Education
Building, Honeypot Lane. 956 attended, of whom 667 were civil servants
and 289 employees of local firms. 40 were recalled for large films, of
whom 19 were referred for further investigation. At the Ministry of
Food, Stanmore, 1,050 were examined. 50 were recalled for large films,
11 were referred for further examination. The unit visited three other
places to examine the employees. Of 1,084 examined, 31 were recalled
for large films, of whom 11 were referred for further examination.
(e) The group which yields the highest proportion of sufferers on
examination is that of persons referred to the Chest Clinics by their
doctors. During the years 1949-52, 12,665 new patients were referred
for examination by their doctors. Of these 27 per thousand were found
to be suffering from tuberculosis.
The following is an analysis of the new cases notified at the Harrow
Chest Clinic in 1953. Of the 20 non-pulmonary cases, seven were
diagnosed at the clinic and 13 were diagnosed elsewhere, that is to say