MEDICAL SURVP^Y OF THE TOWN OF TAYTAY. 267 



APPLICATION OF lililSULTS. 



It is necessary to know how fairly and how adequately the group of 

 l^ersons examined for any given infection represented the normal popula- 

 tion of the town of Ta3'tay hefore the percentage of infection found can 

 be interpreted for the general community. In other words, it is essential 

 that the presence and amount of any selection among the persons exam- 

 ined, either by sex, age, occujjation, condition of health, or otherwise, 

 be carefully determined. 



The results of the examination of 1,000 persons, or nearly one-fifth 

 .of the population, should be a fairly satisfactory basis provided they 

 fairly rejjresent the community. 



The amount of selection present with regard to sex and age is shown 

 in Table 5, wherein is set forth the proportion of the total population of 

 Taytay examined for intestinal parasites in the two sexes and in each 

 age group. 



Seventeen per cent of the total population were examined. The 

 amount of selection by age or sex is represented, therefore, by the dif- 

 ference between 17 and the percentage examined in any age or sex group. 

 In the results for all males and all fenuiles the figures are 17.0 and 17. "ii, 

 indicating practically no sex selection. Likewise the total figures for 

 those under 15 years (16.5 per cent) and those of 15 years and over (17.5 

 per cent) show little difference in the proportion of children and adults 

 examined. Among males alone and among females alone, the difference 

 between the proportion of adults and children examined is still less than 

 3 per cent and less than 2 per cent, respectively. So fai-, therefore, it 

 is apparent that there was practically no age or sex selection. As we go 

 up the male and female columns, however, taking tlie smaller age groups 

 separately we find certain groups represented in considerably higher or 

 lower proportion than the average. Among the males, all the age groups 

 are well within 3 per cent of the average proportion excepting the 10 to 

 17 years group which, with only 7.8 per cent of the population within 

 those ages examined, falls nearly 10 per cent below its fair representation. 

 Among the females, the various age groups are less evenly represented 

 than among the males, though no group varies so far from the average 

 as the male 10 to 14 year group. The female 10 to 14 year group 

 gives only 13.7 per cent and the 15 to 29 year group only 12 per cent 

 examined. The 30 to 49' year group, on the other hand, sliows an excess 

 of over 5 per cent and the 5 to 9 year group an excess of 3.5 per cent. 

 These results for the sexes separately find expression in the total column 

 foi- eacli age group in that the 10 to 14 year group falls short of the 

 average representation (17 per cent) by 6.2 per cent and the 30 to 49 

 year group shows an excess proportion by 4.1 per cent. 



