Tuberculin tests in British Guiana

Tuberculin tests given over a period of four years are recorded. The tests were not complete only first doses being given. Results obtained with old tuberculin, purified proteid Derivative and patch tests are compared. Contacts showed a significantly higher percentage of positives than non-contacts, hospital nurses reacted as contacts, whilst pupils of schools showed a lower percentage of positives than similar age groups in the general population. Significant differences obtained in the race groups are discussed. The findings were not classified according to area for reasons explained. The study did not permit of a comparison of social or economic levels of the population (Summary)

Social, economic, and dietetic features of tuberculosis in British Guiana

Certain aspects of the hygienic, social and economic condition and the food of 251 families comprising 1,189 persons and including newly notified cases of tuberculosis and their family contacts in the county of Demerara, British Guiana, are discussed. The extent of overcrowding as measured by both the English and the inadequate local legal standards reveal that over half of these families live under conditions of overcrowding, and that more than half of the houses violate even the latter inadequate standards. The incomes and earnings in these families disclose that they belong to a variety of economic levels; but that vast majority of the families investigated belong to the very income groups. Positive correlation was observed to exist between income and floor space. Whereas with equal incomes floor space varied inversely as the size of the family, the type of house and the number and size of rooms varied directly as the income. The budgets of a large proportion of these families were almost completely absorbed by rent and food, though in a large number of cases the amount spent on food was amazing low in relation to local costs. In the majority of families investigated the diet was deficient and unbalanced. In 61.9 per cent of families it was deficient in total calories. In 59 per cent it was deficient in total protein and in 43.9 per cent it was deficient in first-class proteins. Fat and carbohydrate were relatively high in proportion but actually deficient in quantity in the diets deficient in calories (Summary)