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51
The number of women known to be suffering from consumption
in the Borough at the end of 1912 was 204. Of these 128
were married women and 76 unmarried.
There were 71 deaths of women patients during the year
(54 married, 17 unmarried).
In 102 cases the isolation of the patient was inadequate
owing, in the majority of cases, to the straitened circumstances
of the patient. This was also an unsatisfactory feature of the
investigations made amongst the children patients visited. At
the first visit 60 of the 158 children were found to be sleeping
in the same bed with their parents or with other children. In
most cases it was possible for the inspector to make some more
or less satisfactory arrangements for isolation. This was found
more practicable in summer than during the colder months, the
lack of sufficient bedding making it a difficult problem for the
parents to provide separate sleeping accommodation for the
patient.
The enquiries made showed that the circumstances of a large
proportion of these women and children patients were unsatisfactory.
No less than 93 of the women patients were in poor
circumstances, 38 being in very straitened circumstances, 54
children were found to be living under poor circumstances, in 44
cases in very poor circumstances.
Only 29 of the children were sent to Carshalton or other
sanatoria. The only other agency removing any of these children
to sanatoria was the Invalid Children's Aid Association working
in conjunction with the Charity Organisation Society. Unfortunately,
the applicants for sanatorium or other forms of treatment
in many cases resent the inquisitional methods of investigation
carried out as a preliminary by philanthropic bodies, and in consequence
the patient is frequently not removed for the treatment
so essential to his case. Of the 29 children sent away for
sanatorium treatment, 8 were considerably improved on their
return home, but these are rapidly deteriorating in health owing
to the unsatisfactory home conditions.
The importance of the "after cure" of these cases cannot
be overlooked. Five of the children sent away for sanatorium
treatment returned home apparently cured. One example will
sufficiently illustrate this fact. A child patient, aged three years,
was sent away to Carshalton and returned apparently recovered.
This child was one of a family of eight children living with their
parents in three small rooms. Soon after the child's return home,
another child was born : the mother becoming very ill, she was
removed to the infirmary, where she remained six weeks. The