CITY OF CLEVELAND

otherwise exhibiting signs of activity of the tuberculosis process
are decidedly poor risks in using helio-therapy.
The development of helio-therapy or the use of sunlight and
of shorter wave lengths of light produced by artificial means has
been continued during the year. This form of treatment has
been rapidly gaining favor in most institutions devoted to the
care of tuberculosis. There is some difficulty encountered in
regard to the use of natural sunlight because of the variability
of weather conditions and the rigorous temperatures encountered
during winter time. The fact that the shorter wave lengths of
sunlight will not readily pass through ordinary window glass or
any other substances except quartz or its equivalent requires
provision for exposure of cases to sunlight which are difficult
to meet at all times of the year. These difficulties have been
easily met in the newer construction at the Children's Colony
but for adults there still remains considerable to do in providing
solaria whereby adult cases may be exposed to sunlight.
Not all cases of pulmonary tuberculosis are benefited by light
exposures and up to the present time most of the beneficial results
have been for complications affecting other parts of the
body such as bone tuberculosis or in the case of children among
those who are pre-tuberculous.
The artificial production of shorter wave lengths of light is
now accomplished through the use of certain lamps on the market
and during the year one of these lamps known as the Alpine
Sun Lamp has been in continuous operation nearly every day of
the year. It is expected that further equipment of this type
will be provided. The use of arc lamps with carbons of various
composition is being practiced on a wide scale in several institutions,
particularly abroad in Great Britain. In order to secure
equipment which has shown by experience to be best adapted
for the work, outlay in this direction has been withheld up to
the present time beyond the provision of the Alpine sun lamp previously
mentioned but during the coming year this work will
probably be extended.
Artificial Pneumothorax
Probably no greater contribution in the therapeutics of tuberculosis
has been made within recent years than that which
obtains through the use of a method known as artificial pneumothorax.
The process involved consists in effecting rest of the
lung usually on but one side of the body by inflation of the
pleural sac surrounding the lung with an inert gas. Oftentimes
air is used. These fills are given at intervals sufficient to keep
the lung compressed, thus allowing healing to take place more
rapidly while the respiratory function is diminished or performed
almost entirely by the fellow lung on the opposite side.
Some of the most spectacular results are obtained with this
method of treatment.
During 1926 there were 34 cases treated by this method and
the total number of treatments given during the year was 476
or an average of 14 per case. 10 of these cases were under treat-