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(2) Male and Female.—This is a division usually made in
statistics. Its chief interest lies in the different life that women
lead from men, viz., domestic as against business. There is a very
remarkable difference in the total number of males and females
(insured and uninsured) having Tubercle Bacilli +, viz., 108 and 34
for 1915. The cause of this is not clear. It may be that women
are less iiablc than men to Tuberculosis, or that in their avocations
they are less subject to exposure generally, or that they are less
exposed to infection by the Tubercle Bacillus.
(3) Working Capacity.—This and the following divisions are
included in order to give an estimate of the result of treatment.
The working capacity is the capability of the patient for work as
estimated by the physician. In some cases the patient is not at
work when he could be, or he may be at work more or less than
he ought to be in the physician's opinion.
(4) At Work.—This heading is given as the best possible test
as to results of treatment. It is obvious that the chief aim of
treatment is to restore a patient to the position of economic independence,
and the best test of this is the fact whether he is or is
not earning his own livelihood. The defect of this heading is that
it does not include all patients, because some do not work because
they have no need to.
It is by comparing these two tables from year to year that an
idea will be obtained as to the value of the treatment which
patients receive.
(5) Discharges.—This includes patients who for one reason or
another have been removed from the books.
With regard to the figures themselves it is not of much value
to compare them this year, as two years by themselves are not
sufficient to form an opinion as to the tendency of the disease
whether it is gaining ground or being conquered. Taking the
cases of Tubercle Bacilli + there are 141 adults and 1 child for
1915 as against 192 adults in 1914 table. This is a substantial
reduction, and if maintained ought in the course of a few years to
lead to a marked improvement in all the figures in the tables. It
will be noted that there is only one case in 1914 of k child having
T.B.+ and none in 1915. It is very rare to find the Bacillus in
the spulum in children, and I think a diagnosis of definite Pul-