1937
DISEASES OF THE CHEST
e, ery positive reactor's home, and surround ings should lip investigated for the source of infection. The positive reactor should alsn have au ~-ray of the chest, and the interpretation of this plate should be made by a physician adequately trained ill the },.-ra~ diagnosis of tuberculosis. And third, evei-y case in whom a primary tuberculosis complex has been diugnosed, merits an adequate medical follow-up with propel' hygienic and dietary su pervision; aIHI examinations at intervals frequent enough to assure the detention of an,)' developing adult type of disseminating lesion early enough to establish efIective special therapy. Fourth, the follOW-Up of any contact in the family whose sputum is positive with the view of isolating the open responsible case. C. M. H. A FE\V years ago it was said that when the negro develops tuberculosis, the victim rarely remained alive. The mortality is stilt much greater than among the whites. The medical profession of the ~outh is almost unanunous in the opinion that in the ~ egro 's condition of sla very, tuberculosis was not so common among them as now. While tuberculosis exists as such a scourge among ~ egroes, it is plain that the \\ hite population is benefitted when the disease IS checked in the .Negro, for these people serve in the households of the whites. Htatistics in cities in both the North and the ~outh cannot but carry their lessons. ~ince the tendency of the Negro is toward the congested district, the statistics concerning him are fuller and more reliable than for any of the other dark-skinned races except the Indian, who, like a Government Xote, must be accounted for by the Government, but who, for manifest reasons is not so available for comparison as the Negro. That tuberculosis among the negroes is receiving more and more attention annually can be show n by the increased number of beds for Negro tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
in the Negro
being esta lilished ; the training of ~ egro physicians for tubercu losis work, and the e~tabli~hmpnt of health weeks for the Negro. That there is much yet to be accomplished ; one needs but to study the large death rute pel' hundr-ed thousand still existing in the case of the negro. It st i ll remains approxium tely tlne« times that of the white race. c. M. II. The Third :flIIE TlIIIW uuuuul meetAnnual Meetinq ing of the Federation of . .\.meriean ~anatoria "ill be held in Atlantic City during the meeting of the American Medical Association. The Ritz Carlton Hotel will he the headquarters for the F'erlerutiou. VI'. Frank 'V. Burge of Philadelphia i~ chairman of the conuuittee Oil Arrungcureuts, ~ \ more complete description of the plans and arrangements "ill appear in the ~Ia~r issue. \Ve would suggest, how e, CI', that you make J'OU1' reservations at the RitzCarlton at Atlantic City as early as possible. ~lany 11ave already made their reservations, C. ~1. H. TIlE ~EA~O~ most suited to the holding of medical COIn eutious will soon be at hand. These meetings" ill consist of district, state, sectional awl national gatherings, and the programs at each and all of them will he fl lute worth while. ~o widespread in their disti-ibution are these meetings that it if, not probable that there are mall)' physrcians in the United ~tates who are not located conveuiently to one or more ot them. The COilS den tious physician will take ad vantage of every opportunity to better fit himself for the unties of his profession, and to us it seems that there are few better ways to do this than the attendanco upon medical meetings and giving careful attention to the programs which are usually so well presentedEver,) man in the practice of medicine should keep these meetings in mind and attend one or more of them the coming spring and sunuuer. R. B. H., SR,
Medical Meetinq Season
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