A Critical Analysis of BCG in the Prevention of Tuberculosis

¹ The New York Hospital and the Department of Pediatrics, Cornell University Medical College, New York, New York.

1) In spite of the present wave of enthusiasm over the use of B.C.G. in the prophylaxts of tuberculosis, the subject is still controversial.

2) The loss of virulence of the bovine tubercle organisms in B.C.G. is complete and permanent and the use of the vaccine in human beings is entirely safe.

3) Although many favorable reports have been published on the efficacy of B.C.G. vaccine these studies, with very few exceptions, have been poorly controlled.

4) A critical analysis is made of studies on B.C.G. reported from New York City, Chicago and from various Indian reservations.

5) The degree of immunity as well as the duration of the immunity conferred by B.C.G. has not as yet been determined.

6) The use of common antituberculous methods has been so successful in the United States that the need for a prophylactic agent such as B.C.G., is less acute than in countries lacking adequate antituberculosis facilities.

7) Before the use of B.C.G. vaccine can be accepted as a general public health measure, considerable knowledge is still necessary.

8) The B.C.G. vaccine can in no way be offered as a substitute for other antituberculosis methods so successfully used in this country. At best, it may be offered as a supplement to already existing control measures in the United States.