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47
tenth of the total cost of Poor Law administration is
due to tuberculosis, it is hoped that, on economic as well
as on humanitarian grounds, largely increased sanatorium
accommodation will be provided, either by combinations of
local authorities or by the State. Given, however, even this,
it must be remembered that the health regained by a consumptive
after a few months' treatment in a sanatorium will
not permit his resuming without restraint his former occupation,
and that the after care of these patients presents another
extremely difficult problem.
With regard to local measures the most suitable would be
the establishment in Fulham of a tuberculosis dispensary
modelled on the lines of the Royal Victoria Dispensary for
Consumptives in Edinburgh, founded by Dr. R. W. Philip.
Its object is the guidance, supervision, and assistance of the
tuberculous poor. It co-operates with the hospitals and undertakes
the visitation of out-patients at their homes so as to
ensure the medical instructions being carried out, while contacts
are examined by the physician and early cases detected
while in the curable stage.
The dispensary also works in close co-operation with the
various charitable societies so that suitable cases can receive
assistance in some form or other.
The Edinburgh Dispensary has now been working for many
years with very successful results, and at the beginning of
1909 a similar institution was opened in the Borough of
Paddington, at which 867 patients attended during the year.
DEATHS FROM OTHER DISEASES.
Influenza.
Twenty-nine deaths were certified to be due to influenza,
the numbers for the three preceding years being 33, 33, and 30.
Cancer.
Malignant diseases caused 143 deaths, the average of the
preceding ten years corrected for the increase of the population
being 148.