﻿IX. B. 2 Sanitai'y Survey in Mindoro 177 



the outlying camps of the corporations. The remedies for this 

 malarial situation will be found in another part of this report. 



TUBERCULOSIS 



The work of the Philippine Islands Antituberculosis Society 

 has revealed a rather startling condition of affairs regarding 

 the incidence of tuberculosis among Filipinos. Most of the 

 work of this society has been done in the city of Manila, and, 

 consequently, deals largely with patients resident in Luzon ; very 

 little is known, statistically, of the incidence of this disease in 

 the provinces. 



Physical examination of 1,110 people, included in this report 

 with reference to tuberculosis, gives the following result: 



Positive 331 



Doubtful 10 



Negative 768 



Not recorded 1 



Total 1,110 



In as much as these patients come from a large number of 

 provinces as shown in a previous table, the figures quoted in 

 the above statistics show a markedly high incidence and a re- 

 markable general prevalence of tuberculosis. As the average 

 residence of these people in Mindoro is, approximately, three 

 months, it is assumed that the majority of them contracted this 

 disease before they emigrated to this island. The enormous 

 prevalence of tuberculosis is a very important factor both in 

 the economic and in the health problem of Mindoro. With the 

 present barrack system of quartering the employees in San Jose 

 and the overcrowded condition of most of these barracks, such 

 an enormous percentage of tuberculosis infection means disaster 

 unless the situation is relieved in some manner. It is a well- 

 known fact to those who have been studying the tuberculosis 

 problem of this country for many years that the average laborer 

 will not acknowledge that he is ill and will continue his ordinary- 

 vocation while suffering from this disease until haemorrhage, 

 excessive fever, or general weakness makes it impossible for 

 him longer to make an effort to perform his work. The 

 tuberculosis situation may very readily be controlled by a careful 

 preemployment examination of applicants for positions at Min- 

 doro, excluding all those who have definite signs of the disease, 

 and the condition of those already on the ground may be markedly 

 improved by the establishment of a different residence system 



