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Laboratory Work.
(5) Institutional Provision for Unmarried
Mothers, Illegitimate Infants and Homeless
Children.
This provision under the Maternity and Child Welfare Act is
made by the Surrey County Council in Institutions which are outside
the District.
(6) Ambulance Facilities.
(a) For Infectious Cases. Two horse ambulances are provided
by the Council for removal of cases of infectious disease to the
Isolation Hospital, one for patients suffering from tuberculosis, and
one for other cases of infectious disease.
A motor ambulance in place of the last-mentioned horse-drawn
ambulance would be far more efficient; it would enable patients to
be more promptly removed into hospital, a very important step
particularly in times of epidemic.
(b) For Non-infectious and Accident Cases. The Council have
provided a motor-ambulance which is primarily intended for use in
case of accidents, when no charge is made.
It may also be hired for residents of the District, for the conveyance
of non-infectious cases to hospital, etc., upon the payment
of a nominal scale of charges, according to distance. These fees
may be remitted in necessitous cases.
8. LABORATORY WORK, Etc.
Bacteriological examinations of swabs for the detection of
diphtheria bacilli and of sputum for the presence of tubercle bacilli
are undertaken at the Council's laboratory.
Pathological outfits are provided by the Council for practitioners'
use, and specimens sent by medical practitioners from patients
in the district are examined free of charge.
Examinations undertaken during the year amounted to 688, for
diphtheria bacilli 525, for tubercle bacilli 163.
Diphtheria antitoxin is supplied from the Public Health
Department to Medical Practitioners applying for it for their
patients resident in this district: antitoxin supplied in this way is
charged for at cost price unless the patient to whom it was