HomeRadiologyVol. 36, No. 4 PreviousNext Bulletin of the Inter-Society Committee for RadiologyMass Chest SurveysPublished Online:Apr 1 1941https://doi.org/10.1148/36.4.498MoreSectionsPDF ToolsImage ViewerAdd to favoritesCiteTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked In AbstractLike ancient Gaul, the subject of group surveys for the recognition of tuberculosis divides itself naturally into three parts. These are: (1) Should such surveys be undertaken (i.e., are they of sufficient value to the community to warrant the necessary expenditure of time, effort and money)? (2) How, in general, are such surveys made (i.e., under what auspices, by whom and in what technical fashion)? (3) How do we think they should be made?To obtain information that would assist in formulating an answer to each of these questions, the Inter-Society Committee for Radiology has recently surveyed the situation and the preponderance of opinion among qualified observers throughout the country by means of a questionnaire. Replies were received from State representatives of the Committee and secretaries of regional radiological societies in forty States.We could easily devote a great deal of time to the discussion of the question, “Should such surveys be undertaken?” Most—or at least many—of us would be inclined to answer in the negative and there is much to support such an answer. When it is remembered that only from 0.25 to 0.50 per cent of children examined are found to have open cases of tuberculosis and there are no uniform regulations for requiring either isolation or treatment of those discovered; when it is remembered that surveys of school children (certainly those most commonly surveyed) ignore the teacher, the nurse, the cafeteria attendant, and the food handler, one might be justified in considering the method a little extravagant.A recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association pointed out that in the eastern part of the country about 60 per cent of patients in tuberculosis sanitaria voluntarily discharge themselves even though bacilli are being found regularly in their sputa. Garland's pertinent comment on this is that it seems futile to make expensive efforts to catch a few open cases on the left-hand side of the room and to allow 60 per cent of those you catch to walk out through the right-hand side to mingle with and infect the populace at large.Surveys do, of course, create a group consciousness about tuberculosis. Their chief value undoubtedly is educational. Unfortunately, however, our discussion of this question is a purely academic one since the matter has been settled for us by the various foundations, health agencies, and tuberculosis associations who conduct these surveys, and we can better employ our time in discussion of the second question, “How, in general, are such surveys made?”By this question we mean to inquire as to the agencies conducting mass surveys; the means by which they are conducted; the medical and particularly the roentgenological personnel; and the medical and again particularly the roentgenological value of these findings.Questions which particularly concern us are : (1) Should surveys be on a mass or group basis, or performed by radiologists on an individual basis?Article HistoryPublished in print: Apr 1941 FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsRecommended Articles RSNA Education Exhibits RSNA Case Collection Vol. 36, No. 4 Metrics Altmetric Score PDF download