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Committee, applied to the Minister of Health for sanction to the necessary
expenditure for such provision which has now been received.
The nursing will be carried out by the Metropolitan Nursing Association,
and will be under the strict control of the Medical Officer of Health and the
Tuberculosis Officer and limited to cases in which there is urgent need of skilled
nursing.
The service will be most useful both for diagnostic purposes and for nursing
patients whose removal to hospital is not practicable or where removal for some
reason is necessarily delayed; it must not be allowed to stand in the way of
admission to institution.
Dental Clinic for Tuberculous Persons.
Arrangements have been made for tuberculous persons referred from the
Tuberculosis Dispensary to receive dental treatment as part of the Council's
Tuberculosis Dispensary Scheme, at the Clinic of the British Dentists Hospital,
No. 10, John Street, W.C
In the year 1923, 6 new patients were treated. These patients made 11
attendances.
Scaling and gum treatment was given in one case. Extractions with local
anaesthetic were made in one case, and with general anaesthetic in five cases. In
six cases filling was provided.
Cancer.
During the year 59 deaths were recorded as due to cancer, equal to a rate of
1.36 per thousand. In the year 1903 the death rate from cancer in the Borough
was l.O; in 1913, 1.04; the decennial average rate was 1.03 for the 10 years
1903-1912, and 1.31 for the 10 years 1913-1922.
It will thus be seen that there is a marked increase in the cancer death rate
and although some part of this increase may reasonably be attributed to improved
facilities for diagnosis, the figures, nevertheless, indicate the seriousness of and
high mortality from malignant diseases.
No certain cure has yet been found and the best hope at present is in the
direction of early diagnosis and surgical treatment.
During the year a special leaflet giving early signs and symptoms of
cancer was distributed. Arrangements were also made for this leaflet to be
placed in " Please Take One " boxes in the Public Libraries, the Public Health
Office, and the underground conveniences for both men and women. A large
number of the leaflets were so distributed and it is hoped that in this way a large
part of the day population was reached.
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
During the year 423 births were registered as occurring in the Borough.
During the same period 441 notifications of births occurring in the Borough were
received. Of these 395 were from doctors and midwives, 46 from parents after
letters drawing attention to non-notification.