Realistic Chemotherapeutic Policies for Tuberculosis in the Developing Countries

During the course of the last LO years there has been striking progress in the chemotherapy of pulmonary tuberculosis in the technically advanced countries. The developing countries, however, have derived very little benefit from the progress for two main reasons. First, because they have a gross shortage of medical resources. Secondly, relatively little attempt has yet been made to adapt current knowledge to their special problems. In particular, graduates from developing countries employed or studying in technically advanced countries learn an approach to therapy based on facilities which will not be available when they return home, and they receive very little instruction of practical relevance to the conditions they will have to face. In this lecture I intend to discuss the realistic application of chemo- therapy in the developing countries. In order to appreciate the problems involved it is necessary, first, to have a clear picture of the gross shortage of medical resources which exists in many developing countries, and, secondly, to know their current chest-clinic practice. 3,506 26,445 1,707 52 300 Approximate No.