[Report 1937] / Medical Officer of Health, Sheffield City.

  • Sheffield (England). City Council.
Date:
1937
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1937] / Medical Officer of Health, Sheffield City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    127/208 (page 125)
    All children admitted to the Nether Edge Hospital and the Winter Street Hospital Children’s Wards now have intra-dermal tuberculin tests carried out (Mantoux test) as a routine. This is a useful test as it distinguishes between children who have been infected and children who have not been infected by the tubercle bacillus. 51-9 per cent, of mantoux tests done of boys proved positive and among the girls the percentage was 73-2. It will be appreciated that a number of the children are admitted to these Wards for observation. , In the field of treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis it must ])e admitted that a specific cure for tuberculosis has not yet been found and the fundamentals in treatment still remain—rest, good food, fresh air. In certain cases other methods assist and among these is collapse therapy or artificial pneumothorax treatment. This form of treatment has now been available in the City Sanatoria for some years. In only a small proportion of cases is this method suitable. The proportion varies in different localities and is relatively low in Sheffield. During 1937 there were twenty-eight fresh inductions. Out-patients’ refills are not carried out at the Tuberculosis Dispensary but are carried out at the various Tuberculosis Hospitals. During the year there were 565 out-patients’ attendances of pneumothorax eases at hospitals for refills. Tuberculin has been used in the treatment of pulmonary and non-pulmonary cases for several years. During the last seven years 226 patients have received courses of tuberculin treatment. In many cases the inunediate response to this form of treatment is good but it is too early yet to give an opinion on the later results. Treatment with gold salts was tried for several years up to about three years ago. I could not satisfy myself that this form of treatment appreciably affected the course of the disease and it is now rarely used. Finally, I would like to pay tribute to my colleagues. The medical work in a Depart¬ ment such as this, with a vast Dispensary system and nearly 500 sanatorium beds, demands that the Medical Officers shall to some extent sink their individuality and work together as a team. It is with pleasure, therefore, that I record my thanks to them for the high standard of clinical work they have maintained, and for their loyal co-operation.