Tuberculosis in Childhood and Adolescence with Special Reference to the Pulmonary Forms of the Disease.

Abstract

The challenge of tuberculosis is as strong today as at any time; although the infection is known to be preventable, its toll of lives throughout the world still runs high. Detection of the disease in a young child, even an infant, must lead to the expert scrutiny of the adults with whom the child has been in contact and may lead to the discovery of unsuspected but infected adults in need of treatment and segregation. A sound knowledge of the clinical aspects of the disease in persons of different ages emphasizes the value of this text. The work is based on experience with over 1,000 children treated in the sanatorium and followed up for an average of six years. A special investigation into the clinical and pathological details surrounding the deaths from tuberculosis in 100 unselected cases in London children is included. The study provides an outline of the natural