[Report 1920] / Medical Officer of Health, Salop / Shropshire County Council.

  • Shropshire Council
Date:
1920
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1920] / Medical Officer of Health, Salop / Shropshire County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    33/62 (page 21)
    'riTRi'RciTLosrs. I lieu' aie nuiiiy iirohleiiis ol \-ilal iiii])()rlaiici' in tlin |)rc'\-enli()]i of liiherculosis wliicl) have not vet been rom])I('lely solved. IVrliai)s the niosl ini])or(anl of these are: - (1) \yial IS the prineii)al point of entranee of the poison -through tlie respiratory tiact and lungs or Ihrongh the throat and alimentary system ? 'I'o ])ut tlie matter iii another form is the jxuson nsnally inhaled or swallowed ? (ii) ( an immunity be t)btained otherwise than l)y jrreyions infection ? (in) Itoes the infection wliicli i)rodnces jdithisis in the adult nsnally gain access to the liody m early childhood or at a later age ? . s, ■ of to discuss these various problems, but it may be stated that tlie balance of ecKkiuc secMiis to be turning definitely in favour of tlie view that'infection is mostly in early childhood, and that immunity is only gained by jirevious infection. ... ‘ere is still -r satisfactory so,„ti„„ If immunity does depend uiion previous infection our efforts must be devoted to ureventine infection couceulratcd form likely to overcome the natural resistance of the body and to incicasing die icsistance b>- imiiroved f'onditions ot living—open air life, exercise good'food and houses. The danger ot concentrated infection which is usually ,iresent wdien a pe^-so suf eri o from consumption m an active stage is living in an overcrowded house, should he diminishll in ecei> possible way. 1 we could combine the conditions of healthy living with minimum infec ^ a complete freedom from cxjiosure to concentrated'infection we should probably have ideal conditions tor the prevention of tuberculosis. pioDam\ In towns particularly almost every person becomes infected in some degree before adult fe. and the question naturally arises whether the minimum infections to which sooner m-Ta er ^^‘'nu”i^tered in such a manner as regalxL the dL and iilence of the oiganisni, and the age and environment of the individual that the danner If iufection, inchuling the dangerous concentrated infections which eventuallv ove.rcomP principally due to infected material swallowed and not inhaled the EtfivT* “'‘V''«erent, ,l,c ijifertioii should be more mider our control m i I c healthy condition of the throat and mouth hecoiiies a matter of groat Importance by inTala,iZtdo”;-‘tll'Sg''^ “o' practical unanimity oiMhe broairhnyif7^ matters above mentioned, there is