TUBERCULOSIS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 



459 



Series 5 was a control and the men were given the usual hospital treat- 

 ment according to the individual case. 



No patient was discharged as recovered until his cough had stopped, 

 signs of an active lesion had disappeared and the sputum had been 

 found negative for tubercle bacilli at least twice.'' 



During six months' treatment of these cases there have been twenty-one 

 recoveries and nineteen deaths. Five men have been released from 

 prison, leaving 55 of the cases still in the hospital. 



The following table shows the number of recoveries, deaths and patients 

 still in the hospital : 



Series. 



Died. 



Returned 

 to duty. 



Remain- 

 ing in 

 hospital. 



Number released, and 

 condition on release. 



1 



1. Tuberculin: 



A. By mouth 



B. Hypodermicaily 



Total for tuberculin series^ 

 '2. Succinimide of mercury 



3. Atoxyl 



4. Cinnaniate of mercury 



5. Control cases 







1 



3 



8 



j 

 i 



5 1 1 gained 6 pounds. 



6 1 1 lost 8 pounds. 



1 : ; 11 2. 



7 , 3 ! 10 



(i 2 : 10 ! 1 gained 38 pounds 

 in 35 days; 1 gain- 

 ed 1 pound; 1 lost 

 4 pounds. 



2 6 12 



4 1 4' 12 ; 



Total - 



19 21 i .'iS ' S. i 









' 



1 



From this table it is seen that the series treated with tuberculin and 

 with cinnamate of mercury give the highest recoveiy rate; 6 of 20 cases, 

 or 30 per cent in each instance. 



The succinimide of mercury gives the highest death rate, with atoxyl 

 and tlie control series following. The succinimide of mercury gives a 

 recovery rate of 3 in 20 cases which is less than the control series, 4 

 in 20. 



° \Vlien tubercle bacilli could not be found in the sputum by tlie ordinary 

 method of examination, I have made use of the ligroin and antiformin methods. 

 I now prefer a combination of the two methods as being clean, accurate and rapid. 

 The sputum is treated with ten to fifteen times its volume of a 20 per cent 

 solution of antiformin, a strongly alkaline solution of sodium hypochlorite with 

 a content of about 4.2 per cent free chlorine. After standing until the sputum 

 becomes homogeneous and fluid, about 2 cubic centimeters of ligroin are added 

 and the mixture is shaken until a thorough emulsion is formed. Then the 

 mixture is heated to 60° P. on a water bath until the ligroin has separated in 

 a layer on top of the mixture. Several loops of the material in the limiting 

 layer immediately at the lower border of the layer of ligroin are spread upon a 

 warmed slide and fixed and stained in the usual way. It is often possible to find 

 tubercle bacilli readily in a sputum by this method when they can not be found 

 by the ordinary method of preparing the smear. 



