MALARIA
Children often suffer from malarial parasites. Sudden rise of fever on regular days (sometimes daily, every two days or every three days) should demand a careful medical examination including the examination of the blood where the offending organism is seen in the red blood cells. We recently saw a little girl who happened to have an earache and was about to be operated on for ear trouble, when examination of the blood revealed the fact that she was suffering from malaria.
TUBERCULOSIS
In the routine examination of adult patients, the X ray observations of the lungs often reveal deposits of lime salts which tell the story of a successful fight against tuberculosis ([Fig. 16]). And while it may seem surprising, we believe beyond a doubt that most of us have had some varying degree of tuberculosis while young—the unrecognized battle has been fought—and these small monuments of lime salts alone remain to tell the interesting story.
The pity of it is that whole armies of little folks fall in this struggle against disease, for it is one of the common and fatal diseases of childhood. Fresh-air schools, playgrounds, and free school lunches are saving hundreds of children from the ravages of this disease each year.
Tuberculosis is strictly a house disease, hence the little tubercular patient must seek outdoor life. All avoidable exposure to the disease must be denounced, and public sentiment must continue to be aroused to the hygienic betterment of the tenement districts and basement homes. The sanitary drinking cup and the bubble fountain must be encouraged, as must also the proper ventilation of all places where crowds assemble, be it the schoolroom, the theater, or the church.
Fig. 16. X ray Showing Tuberculosis of the Lung.