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95
It is a singular coincidence that the eleven infectious
diseases added together caused exactly the same number of
deaths—144.
We go to enormous expense in providing institutional care
for small pox, scarlet fever, enteric fever, measles, diphtheria,
cerebro-spinal fever, typhus fever, and yet we have hitherto
done nothing for consumption, which is as fatal as them all put
together and three or four other infectious deseases besides.
Such an argument should appeal to those in favour of leaving
the matter in the hands of a committee of amateurs to deal
with.
The National Insurance Act deals also.with consumption,
and the Health Committees attached to it have many powers to
compel us to deal with the health matters of the district.
After several meetings of the Public Health Committee
on the subject of providing a municipal Institution for Consumption,
a sub-committee was formed to visit similar institutions
in the Metropolitan area. In addition to which your
Medical Officer obtained particulars from many other Tuberculosis
Dispensaries in various parts of the provinces.
Late in the year the Sub-Committee presented their report
as follows:—
REPORT UPON THE VALUE OF A TUBERCULOUS DISPENSARY.
We beg to report that, acting upon your instructions, we
have visited the Dispensaries now in full working order in the
Metropolitan area.
We find that eight of the Boroughs have these institutions
at the present time, whilst practically the whole of the others
have the matter under consideration. After careful enquiry into
the working of these establishments, we have come to the
following definite conclusions:—