Show I i I I I i I 1 Veterans News vs fl i j Lj L Approximately 55 percent of I 1 the veterans In Veterans Administration strati on hospitals are receiving i r treatment for tor mental illness VA said said this week More than 12 percent of the thet t hospitalized capitalized veterans are tubers tuber- tuber i s cular patients and about 33 perI percent per- per cent are general medical and surf surgical sur sur- I f patients I In spite of ot Improved treatment programs for the mentally ill and anda a greatly Increased turnover or release rate of hospitalized mental mental men men- tal tat patients admissions to VA hospitals of ot mentally ill veterans continues to increase On the other hand improved treatment for tuberculosis developed developed developed de de- de- de by VA has reduced the number of TB patients receiving VA hospitalization by more than or approximately 20 percent percent percent per per- cent in the past three years yearB The average dally daily numb number r of TB patients in VA hospitals dropped dropped dropped drop drop- ped from in January 1954 to in December 1956 The number of TB patients in VA hospitals is expected to to reach a fairly constant figure within th the next year or two as the rate of ot decline slows VA said The decrease In need for hospitalization hospitalization hospitalization hos hos- of ot veterans with TB has resulted from learning how to use so-called so TB Tn Wonder Drugs VA explained These drugs were brought Into general use for treatment of the disease in large part as the result of ot VAs VA's As A's internationally known TB chemotherapy chemotherapy chemotherapy chemo chemo- therapy program Begun in 1946 the continuing project for testing newer TB drugs in cooperation with the armed forces has involved more than 50 VA Army AMnY and Navy hospitals and some patients to date VA said |