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79
Dental Treatment in Pulmonary Tuberculosis.
A large proportion of our cases of pulmonary tuberculosis
who are recommended for Sanatorium treatment, have septic
mouths and additional facilities for treatment are under consideration.
Adolescent Contacts.
Preventive Examinations.
It is still, all too unfortunately, a fact that the most fruitful
source of all contact work lies more particularly in the examination
of all adolescent patients, especially girls of the 15—25 age
period who have been in contact with a case of pulmonary tuberculosis.
As I have emphasised on previous occasions, whilst we
are able to get hold of child contacts with little difficulty, a very
insignificant number of cases of pulmonary tuberculosis is found
among this source. Most unfortunately there is much more
difficulty in getting the adolescents to attend the Clinic for
investigation. Often the parents, who are more than willing
that they should attend, have no control over them, and in
numerous instances at a later date we experience the tragedy of
this failure of preventive examination. The Sisters are all more
than aware of the importance of the complete examination of all
adolescent contact cases of pulmonary tuberculosis with a positive
sputum and ready acknowledgment is due to them for their
invaluable efforts in this important field of preventive medicine.
Quite recently, for example, a young girl of twenty-three was
found to be suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis with a positive
sputum. A few days later, on examination of the contacts, a
brother and sister, aged twenty-one and eighteen respectively,
were found also to be suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis.