Tuberculosis Meeting

The 25th annual meeting of the National Tuberculosis Association at Atlantic City last week provided a summary of the U. S. Tuberculosis situation. Estimated number of people infected: 900,000 cases. Sanatorium beds existing for their care: 67,270. Result: doctors, nurses, public health officials and the N. T. A. must get after cases roaming at large. Between 3% and 4% of children have childhood tuberculosis. Half of those children overcome their infection (by rest, good food, outdoor life). The other half develop true pulmonary tuberculosis (the type that kills) when they become adolescents. About the same number of boys and girls, who never had the childhood form, catch it from others when they grow up. Three good means of diagnosis for early tuberculosis exist: X-rays; tuberculin tests; precipitation of a suspect's blood serum by fatty phosphatide fractions of the tuberculosis germ.* Mild doses of infection immunize a person. Massive doses present great future dangers. Attempts to vaccinate babies with living cultures of the germs are likely to prove harmful, because it has been impossible to free such vaccines from virulent, deadly germs.

*The precipitation test is especially precious to distinguish tuberculosis meningitis from other forms of that brain disease.