View report page

52
adopted. It stands to reason that a man
suffering from consumption in its later stages
and treated at home under conditions
commonly found amongst the poor, almost
certainly infects his wife and children, and it
is in this connection that the institution of a
special dispensary or clinic, equipped with a
staff of doctors and nurses, can do so much
good by thoroughly investigating the health
conditions of all who are associated with the
sufferer. Tuberculosis in its early stages can
thus be detected and effectually treated in the
Sanatoria about to be established under the
provisions of the Insurance Act, which has
recently become law.
Tuberculosis Dispensaries can be established in
three ways:—
1. By an extension of the Out-patients
department of the existing hospitals.
2. By voluntary efforts.
3. Supported wholly or partially by the rates.
The obligations imposed by these new regulations
were carefully considered by the Public Health Committee.
It was strongly urged by Mr. Foot and myself that the
staff, as at present constituted, was unable to cope with
the requirements of the new order. It was obvious that
a considerable proportion of the cases notified as Pulmonary
Tuberculosis would be women, and it was thought
that these cases should be left in the hands of a Woman