β
Diagnostically, the dispensary provided the means to identify incipient cases of tuberculosis well before patients were aware of their condition. One way to accomplish that goal was to offer free and accessible walk-in testing during hours convenient for working people. The dispensary took case histories of everyone who came forward, examined their sputum under a microscope, carried out physical exams, and administered tuberculin tests and x-rays in order to diagnose the disease
β
β
Frank M. Snowden III (Epidemics and Society: From the Black Death to the Present)