Drug therapy in pulmonary tuberculosis embraces three distinct fields: (a) the treatment of symptoms, (b) the treatment of complications and (c) the treatment of associated diseases.
The treatment of the complications and associated diseases leads into every province of medicine. To meet the indications as they arise, the sanatorium of today has become a highly specialized institution with a staff of visiting consultants capable of treating competently all nontuberculous conditions, surgical and medical, that afflict the consumptive in addition to the "primary malady."
TREATMENT DIRECTED AGAINST THE CAUSE
Prophylaxis centers largely, if not entirely, on control of the open case and includes such measures as separation of the contact child, collapse therapy, the compulsory report, school surveys to detect the primary source of infection, legislative measures directed both toward control in the human being and such coercive legislation as exemplified by pasteurization ordinances, score card inspection of dairies and tuberculin