Show science provides to save childrens lims t rn V R R tirs vicious CIRCLE A graphic representation of how tubercle bacilli the sole cause of tuber are spread broadcast by a person with the active disease infect ng another member of the family who in turn grows up ana infects others thus comp etire the circle I 1 IN N the effort to discover the earliest manifestations of tuberculosis in school children several communities have set out to examine every school child tor for the indications which are re healed by the tuberculin test and the X ray in advance of 0 outward symptoms tha the tuberculin test a harmless pro cedore selects those who are infected and should be examined with the X ray in turn the latter indicates whether there Is danger from disease or not the massachusetts department ol 01 public health was one of the first to begin such a widespread campaign it was considered a measure of economy as well as humanity tor for the expense of caring lor for grown up patients with active disease was found to be a thou sand dollars a year for or each one given sanatorium care but when potential future sufferers from active disease could be discovered among young school children the case was quite different not only did this widespread search disclose children in danger from tuberculosis but in many in stances it led directly to the discovery of an active case in adult members of the same family from whom the chil dren had been getting the infection that was preparing them for a similar destiny one such example was recently de scribed by dr henry D chadwick an outstanding authority on tuberculosis who had charge of this work in massa chu and now Is developing a sim slin liar ilar project in the schools of 0 detroit michigan A ten year old girl was dis dig covered with the childhood type ot of tuberculosis in a marked degree the obvious thing to do said dr chadwick in reciting this instance was to find the source of 0 the disease and protect her irom from further infection no treatment would avail if she con linued to receive further doses 0 of tu berble bacilli it was doubtful it she could withstand the amount that was already producing disease the field nurse in the district in which the child lived investigated the conditions at home and was successful in getting the parents and the two sis to come to the clinic tor for an ex amin atlon one showed the childhood type of tuberculosis the other had the adult type involving the upper third of the right lung in the latter case there were also indications showing that the childhood type typo had preceded the adult type for at least a year the source which had spread the infection was found in the mother who had the fibroid type of tuberculosis which had not been previously lecog nihed case finding methods will lead to a diagnosis of tuberculosis in its early and more curable stages we cannot sit in our offices and expect early and favorable cases to come in for treat ment we must search them out be fore the symptoms appear that would lead a person to consult a physician that may seem impracticable or im possible it Is not we must keep in mind that tuberculosis breeds tuber that one case comes from an other and loo c tor for new cases in the proximity of old ones |