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Symptoms of
Tuberculosis
Q. What are the ordinary symptoms of tuberculosis
which a patient may himself observe?
A. Among the first
symptoms are loss of flesh, loss of strength, a feeling of lassitude, a slight
fever in the afternoon or evening, often perspiration at night and slight
cough; later, expectoration and perhaps a hemorrhage from the lungs. If the
disease is sufficiently advanced examination of the sputum by a bacteriologist
shows the presence of tubercule germs. One should never wait until germs can be
found in the sputum as this symptom indicates that the disease is so far
advanced that ulceration or breaking down of the lungs has begun.