T.B. INSPECTION.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18101, 17 June 1924, Page 8

T.B. INSPECTION.

DR. TELFORD'S VIEWS

In the course of an interview with, a representative of "The Press," Dr. T. Fletcher Telford, Medical Officer of Health, yesterday made a statement, in reply to the comments of a medical man in respect of the stens taken by the health authorities to disinfect cabins on board ship, whicn have been oc-/ cupietl by persons suffering from tubercular trouble.

"I am not in the habit," said Dr. Telford, "of making any statement with a .view to misleading the public. The case of closed consumption is one in which the disease does not as yet communicate with the open portion of the respiratory tract. It is for this reason thai the bacterioligist is unable to discover or detect organisms in any sputum that may be present. When the disease is in this state, Ft is hot communicable to another individual by the agency of the breath or material cougned up. Your correspondent states when pulmonary T.B. is able to be diagnosed, i.e., when an abscess has formed tubercle bacilli are being, constantly ejected at' every cough. It is no wonder that the disease is sometimes passed from one individual to another if the medical man attending the case.has not been able to arrive at a diagnosis before this late stage in the disease. Ono must be guided by com-mon-sense in these matters, and would your correspondent suggest that an individual with badly carious teeth or glandular abscess properly dressed not be allowed to travel when both.of these conditions are due to the same organisms?•-?-•. .:• : "It is the custom, for the Medical Officer of Health in the district from which the patient is sent," Dr. Telford continued,. " : to notify me of the intended date, of "the; patient's journey by boat, and I detail a health inspector to disinfect the/ ; ; cabin occupied by the patient. In similar manner the Medical Officer of Health at "Wellington is advised by the Medical Officer of Health, Dunedin, if any patient sent from that district and in similar manner by myself in the Canterbury district. In addition the U.IS.S. Company carry oiit their own ( precautions."