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Report on this Work carried out at the Tuberculosis Dispensary.
The following report on the work carried out by the Dispensary has been prepared
by Dr. G. A. Hack, the Tuberculosis Officer: —
New Patients and Contacts.
There has been no significant change since last year either in the number of notifications
or in the number of new cases dealt with at the Dispensary.
The number of new contacts attending has decreased from 307 to 287. The total
number of contacts of the 365 cases notified during the year was 537 and of these 50 per
cent. had been examined at the Dispensary and 7.0 per cent. elsewhere by the end of March,
1939.
Institutional Treatment.
This is provided by the London County Council in sanatoria, special hospitals and in
the tuberculosis wards of their general hospitals. Application for admission is made as a rule
on the appropriate form by the Tuberculosis Officer or the resident staff of the voluntary
hospitals, but in emergency patients may be admitted by application to the Medical Superintendent
of Highgate Hospital. Altogether 399 applications were accepted, showing a decrease
of 13 over the previous year. Of these 214 were admissions to General Hospitals, 63 to
Brompton Hospital or St. George's Home for investigation of their subsequent treatment,
105 to sanatoria and 17 to various hospitals for observation for diagnosis.
The majority (137) of the admissions to the General Hospitals were admissions of
destitute patients or those suffering from advanced disease and the recommendations were
made by District Medical Officers, General Practitioners and Voluntary Hospitals; the
remainder (55) were made by the Dispensary. Of the admissions to sanatoria and special
hospitals 102 were recommended by the Dispensary and 83 from other sources.
Artificial Pneumothorax Treatment.
This work is carried out at various voluntary and London County Council hospitals
for patients who have been discharged from hospitals and sanatoria, at a cost to the Borough
Council of 10s. 6d. per refill. During the year an arrangement was made whereby refills
could be given by the Tuberculosis Officer when he visits Highgate Hospital, without charge
to the Borough Council.
The number of refills, which for the past three years had averaged 583, showed an
increase from 800 during 1937, to 989 during 1938. Of these, 249 were carried out
at Brompton Hospital, 394 at University College Hospital, 32 at other voluntary hospitals,
99 at Colindale Hospital, 44 at Grove Park Hospital and 171 at Highgate Hospital, of which
151 were carried out by the Tuberculosis Officer.