The Latent Period in the Roentgen Diagnosis of Pulmonary Tuberculosis

The roentgenologic diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis stands today on a firm foundation. It is generally conceded that tuberculous lesions in the lungs can be recognized at their earliest stages in the roentgenogram, often long before physical signs are present and frequently in advance of recognizable symptoms. The increased utilization of this method for the routine examination of the chest has resulted in a vast increase in the number of cases of incipient tuberculosis that have been recognized. This development of our ideas as to the place that the roentgenogram should have in the recognition of pulmonary tuberculosis depends largely on the pioneer work of Cole, Dunham, Pancoast, Baetjer, Brown and Sampson, and Amberson. Williams and Hill's1study established firmly the superiority of the roentgen over the physical examination in the detection of minimal tuberculosis. Webb2summarized well the situation in this regard, and since then there have been