Present Status of Streptomycin In Tuberculosis

¹ Medical Director, Mineral Springs Sanatorium, Cannon Falls, Minn.
² Fellow in Surgery, Mayo Foundation, Rochester, Minnesota.

Streptomycin is now accepted as a valuable weapon in the treatment of tuberculosis. Like other valuable drugs, it has its assets and limitations. It can not be considered a substitute for sanatorium care and other well established measures such as collapse therapy. It is a "must" in the treatment of (1) miliary tuberculosis. (2) tuberculous meningitis, (3) ulcerative tracheobronchial tuberculosis, (4) tuberculosis of the larynx and oropharynx, (5) draining cutaneous sinuses, and (6) tuberculous enteritis. In tuberculous peritonitis it is probably the treatment of choice. In genito-urinary tuberculosis its value is chiefly palliative and as an adjunct to surgery. In bone and joint tuberculosis it is helpful in some cases, both alone and in conjunction with surgery.

In pulmonary tuberculosis it is a valuable adjunct in exudative and pneumonic lesions, in combination with bed rest and collapse therapy, or resection when indicated. It must be emphasized that an understanding of the pathology of tuberculosis and of the mechanism of anti-bacterial therapy is necessary if the best possible end results are to be obtained by use of the drug. Streptomycin has proved that tuberculosis is amenable to chemotherapy. It is fervently hoped that other and even more effective agents may be discovered.