In 1957, Glasgow had the highest death rate from tuberculosis (TB) in Europe. To fight this, health officials launched a big campaign called ‘X-ray Now,’ getting over 700,000 people checked in just five weeks. More than 12,000 volunteers helped, and people were offered free prize draws if they got an X-ray.
Promotions offered cash with all sorts of increments, soft toys and gadgets, as well as drawing positives such as TVs, holidays, and cars; negatives such as cigarettes, chickens, chocolates, and many other items.
As reported by BBC.com they have established that the wider benefits of the programme of 1957 were that because of outright success of the programme 2,369 people with TB were caught and had to be treated.
Scientists discovered that as the screening programme prevented TB spreading so actively in the city, over the next five years, about 4 599 cases could be prevented, and numerous people lived.
Professor Peter MacPherson of global public health at the University of Glasgow said he wish the story from 1957 will be useful to the present fight against tubercular as the disease has killed more than 1.2 million people in the world.
He said: It was this mass screening that played such a big part; it doubled the rate of people being diagnosed with TB and helped halve the incidence.
But I actually could not find anything similar to the programme in the whole world in terms of its size.
‘There is much that could be learnt from what has been done historically – it was real civil enterprise; people’s motivation was to help their neighbours as at that time probably everyone knew somebody who was a victim of TB.’
The rapid screening programme in Glasgow was conducted by 37 mobile X-ray units and 50 radiographers borrowed from other cities in the UK.
Publicity about the programme included the use of Loudspeaker vans moving around the city also an illuminated tramcar as well as aeroplane banner adverts and the two campaign songs at football matches.
Those who ever had a chest x-ray gave them badges and randomly reward people wearing the badges were given items like chocolates, chickens, and cigarettes.
Other giveaways included refrigerators, television sets, washing machines, holidays, furniture and a car as shown below.