OCR Text |
Show Steps in Fight on Tuberculosis Periodic Examination Most Favored of Methods in General Use. "From the public health aspect the school program is distinctly secondary second-ary to the effort to control active tH-berculosis tH-berculosis In the general population," popula-tion," Vr. William Paul Brown says In an article on "The School and Tuberculosis" Tu-berculosis" in Hygoia Magazine. "The periodic examination ar.d the contacts of known active cases Is much more productive of results in controlling the disease than the school study of all pupils. No special spe-cial study of tuberculosis In the schools Is warranted unless a good program based on these two more Important Im-portant phases has had consistent promotion. "The school physician might detect a few active cases in children. If conditions con-ditions allow careful auscultation of the chest and a careful history of exposure ex-posure to the Infection. However, many children with demonstrable disease dis-ease may be missed, for at the time they may be negative to auscultation and give a negative history." Among the benefits of a school program pro-gram for childhood tuberculosis under un-der public health control are the following fol-lowing : 1. An appreciable number of children chil-dren are found In need of treatment, and adults with active tuberculosis are discovered. 2. Families who are not utilizing regular medical supervision are given giv-en occasion to choose a physician for this prevention service. 3. Chlildren, apparently well, whose parents have taken meager steps to correct overfatigue, dietarp errors, neglected teeth and other defects, have therein a rather spectacular reason for correcting these general health hazards before symptoms of tuberculosis have brought a belated warning. 4. Thysicians are aided in increasing increas-ing their function In preventive medicine medi-cine through the reference to them of such considerable groups of children who are apparently well but who give a positive reaction to the tuberculin test. 5. Diagnostic service of a high quality Is accomplished through the local sanatorium staff and Is Immediately Imme-diately made available to the family physician who Is actually supervising the patient |