The Therapeutic Dividend of Roentgenographic Resurveys in a Psychiatric Hospital

¹ The Norristown State Hospital, Norristown, Pennsylvania.

During a two-year period, 107 persons with active tuberculosis were admitted to the tuberculosis sections of a large state psychiatric hospital. Fifty were transfers from other state psychiatric institutions and 57 were discovered in the home institution. Far-advanced disease was less common among the latter and the therapeutic results were significantly better. The excellent results of treatment are attributed to an adequate tuberculosis control program which permits only cases of recent onset to come to therapy. The incidence of new active cases of tuberculosis in a captive psychotic population now approximates 2/1000/year and is approaching that which exists in the general urban population.