29

TUBERCULOSIS.

The following table shows the total number of admissions for tuberculous disease both pulmonary and non-pulmonary, for each of the years 1918 to 1928, and the percentage rate of tuberculous cases in relation to total admissions for each of these years :—

1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928

216 191 219 220 234 251 290 292 371 404 497

Percentage of total admission rate 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.3 [ 1.35 1 1.38 | 1.46 ] 1.46 | 1.46 | 1.71 | '1.55 | 1.57

It is seen that there is a slight increase of this percentage rate over any of the preceding years, excepting only 1926 in which year it was considerably higher.

The following list shows the number of tuberculous cases dealt with in each of the provinces of the northern and central Sudan:—•

Province.

Natives.

Foreigners. Pulmonary Non-Pul monary

Khartoum 53 51 7 1 European Berber 24 27 1 1 R ed Sea 14 37 8 2 2 from Yemen 2 ,, Hedjaz 2 Indians Dongola 21 15 — Haifa . . .. .. 11 8 1 European White Nile .. 6 4 — Blue Nile 51 19 3 1 from Yemen 1 Abyssinian 1 Somali Kordofan 11 9 _ Kassala 23 20 18 Abyssinians and

Eritreans Upper Nile 6 20 — Fung .. 3 — — Nuba Mountains 17 9 —

Total 240 219 38

It is seen from the above list that 38 out 497 admissions for tuberculosis were immigrants or foreigners. It is noticeable that no cases of tuberculosis were reported from among the western immigrants who supply far the largest part of the immigrant population. The incidence among the comparatively small Abyssinian immigrant population is very high. These Abyssinians are badly nourished and show little resistance to disease, and are therefore undesirable as immigrants.

As a result of the medical examination of 128 schools with a total of 8852 pupils, four boys were found to be affected with pulmonary tuberculosis. It is possible that some very early cases were overlooked, but it points' to the conclusion that the rising generation of school age is not affected by this disease to any serious extent.