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72
It is estimated that 55 cases of the 263 new cases were cases
of adolescent phthisis, i.e. at least one in every 5 occurred between
the 15-25 years period. It is a well-known fact that (1) cases
occurring at this age of life have a poorer prognosis; (2) many
of them occur as a result of contact with other cases of pulmonary
tuberculosis in the home. The greatest significance is placed upon
the need for the examination of every adolescent person who has
been in contact with a case of pulmonary tuberculosis whose
sputum is positive. Most unfortunately, whilst child contacts in
whom the risk of pulmonary tuberculosis is a small one, and who,
like all school children, are under the preventive supervision of
the School Medical Service, attend the Clinic for examination in
large numbers, great difficulty is often experienced in getting the
adolescent contact to attend for a preventive examination.
Parents, who themselves are often keen on these adolescents being
examined, frequently state that they cannot get them to attend
for examination, because they are well and see no reason for such
precaution. On many occasions it has been observed subsequently
that pulmonary tuberculosis has developed in such adolescents in
a very acute form. They have been obliged to attend the Clinic
on account of symptoms, and advanced disease has not infrequently
been detected. It would have been easier to have seen
these people before the onset of disease and to have urged the valuable
preventive measures to be adopted. Our Visiting Sisters
are aware of this important problem of the development of phthisis
in the adolescent contact, and a special drive is made (sometimes
at the risk of making themselves a great nuisance to the family)
to get these contacts to attend the Clinic.