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112
or, a Capital outlay of £300 and annual expenses ranging between
£790 per annum as a minimum and £990 as a reasonable
maximum.
The net produce of a penny rate in the Borough is estimated
to be £3,950.
The provision of sanatorium beds is an essential constituent
of every complete scheme, whether the dispensary be established
at a hospital or under municipal control and management. In
London these sanatorium beds will be provided for insured
persons by the London County Insurance Committee. Power to
extend this provision to the dependants of insured persons is
given by Sec. 17 of the National Insurance Act, 1911. For other
persons, and possibly for the dependants of insured persons,
excluding poor law patients, it is probable that such
provision will eventually be made by the London County Council.
The present number of sanatorium beds available for treatment
throughout the whole country is quite insufficient.
During the last twelve years, 2,554 Finsbury residents have died
from phthisis and 491 from other forms of tuberculosis, giving
a total of 3,045 persons.
Nor is this the complete record of the ravages due to this fell
disease.
There is every reason to believe that very many of the deaths
entered on death certificates as due to bronchitis and pneumonia
are really due to tuberculosis.
Instances of such inaccuracies were given in the Annual Report
for 1911.
The addition of such make it probable that, during the years
1901-1912, at least 3,500 Finsbury residents have died from all
forms of tuberculosis.
And the tragedy of it all is that tuberculosis is in a very large
measure a preventable disease and should be prevented.
It is estimated that there are between 1,600 and 2,000 cases of
phthisis actually living in the borough at the present time.