Show l s x t ft s T BY WILLIAM BRADY f rit n n j INCI INCIPIENT TUBERCULOSIS I I I I A tall slender girl of ot 19 recently graduated from high school had been rather frail her mother stated for several years Present complaint Her mothr mother was anxious because the girl girt seemed less viva vivacious ious and ambitious ambitious ambitious ambi ambi- than formerly The girl felt tired out all the U tint She frequently complained of ot a stitch or soreness in the right side and under the right shoulder blade She was inclined to feel teel chilly at times in the summer summer day when her friends were all too warm No she had no cough she declared The mother admitted that the girl oc occasionally occasionally oc- oc cleared her throat But nothing was ever really realy coughed up Much against her own wishes the girl was made to remove move all clothing to the waist line Une She insisted there was nothing the matter and that mother mother daggers daggers for poor mother mother- was making a lot of trouble without reason Examination of the chest re revealed revealed re- re Just one slight change change change-a a pro of ot the expiratory murmur or sound heard over the right above e the collar conar bone apex Blood examination revealed a reduction reduction re re- re of red corpuscles and of 01 hemoglobin to 65 per cent of the normal No diagnosis was possible as yet The patient was ordered to take a vacation from her office work and to keep a re record ord of pf the temperature with the of 01 a nurse hurse friend After a week the report of 01 the nurse showed a dally rise of from 1 to 1 Vi z degrees of ot temperature it it ran from I to at the highest Examination of the naked chest now repeated showed no new sign In the week wet in spite of rest and a fair appetite the patient had lost last one halt pound in weight The pulse rate was continuously continuously above 90 30 That What was ten beats too fast fut Further cross examination of 01 the them m mother ther now elicited the fact tact that an tuberculosis had lived with the family for about a year some t ten en years previously The girl was her cron crony A diagnosis of Incipient tuberculosis sis was now made and the family so 50 Informed though the girl herself was told she had amenia in a marked de degree degree degree de- de gree and must give up work for the summer and go o to the country to live A half truth Is better than a whole lie He She did so protesting against the sentence but deferring to her parents' parents wishes At 19 a girl likes company In three weeks she gained eight pounds in weight and anti her blood came up to 80 per cent She was eating like Uke a hired man In six weeks she gained In all aU fifteen pounds and her blood reached 90 30 per cent which is the average strength o of the blood in women engaged In Indoor occupations occupations occupations This gain was maintained through the following winter Yet in all that time the physical signs on examination examination examina examina- examination tion of 01 the chest showed no change However patient has no more temperature and feels perfectly welland well wen welland and looks well Her tier weight Is normal for her er height and ag age We Ve say tho the I disease Is is' arrested Not cured Once always The patient now knows the truth about herself that herself that was her doctors doctor's duty dut And she knows that by reasonable hygiene hygiene hygiene hy hy- giene she can retain her good health as long as any o of us whose tuberculosis sis remains latent For w wd all have tuberculosis or pra practically y all of 01 us It is only when the latent becomes be- be becomes be be- comes active that we have symptoms Symptoms symptoms toms which permit a diagnosis of incipiency incipiency in- in I to be made Please remember that false modesty might have allowed the t tuberculosis to progress to the stage of ot I tion Dr Brady will answer all signed letters letters letters let let- pertaining to health The names of writers are never printed Only In Inquiries inquiries In- In of general interest are arc answered in this column but all swill be answered by mall it if a stamped sel self addressed envelope is Requests Re Re- Re for quests diagnosis or treatment of Individual cases calfI cannot be Address Dr William considered car Brady care this newspaper w ar of or |