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31
The Municipal Tuberculosis Dispensary.
The action taken by the Department during 1915 varies little
from the preceding year. The same routine is gone through in each
case. The Public Health Department supervises the preventive side
and the Tuberculosis Dispensary the clinical side.
Our efforts have been hindered by the absence of Nurse Goodchild
on active service, but a temporary part-time nurse obtained from
the Kilburn and West Hampstead District Nursing Association has
been quite satisfactory. With the return of a full-time nurse I am of
opinion the work of the district will be enhanced.
During the year an agreement has been arrived at with Mount
Vernon Hospital, for linking up the tuberculosis work of the Borough
with that hospital.
Briefly the agreement with Mount Vernon is as follows :—
That in consideration of payments made by the Council to the
hospital, the hospital undertakes :
To nominate a junior member of their visiting staff as the
tuberculosis medical officer of the Borough of Hampstead. This
appointment to be annual.
The officer will be a part time officer and will fulfil all the
duties of the tuberculosis medical officer as outlined by the interim
report of the Departmental Committee and the Order of the Local
Government Board dated July 26th, 1912.
He is responsible for all the clinical work of the Borough and is
in charge of the Tuberculosis Dispensary. He undertakes all the
bacteriological and pathological work necessary. Although clinically
uncontrolled he is in all other respects under the direction of the
Medical Officer of Health and forms part of his staff.
During the existence of this agreement, the Hospital grants to
the Council the use of their premises in Fitzroy Square as a consultation
centre or for special pathological work or for special form of
treatment which may be necessary, and the Tuberculosis Medical
Officer has also the right of consulting with other members of the
visiting staff of Mount Vernon Hospital in any case in which he deems
a consultation would be of benefit to his patient.
This arrangement has been at work during the latter months of
1915 and is proving satisfactory so far. It is the most promising
scheme we have yet tried.
Report on the work of the Hampstead Municipal Tuberculosis
Dispensary from 1st January to 31st December, 1915.
During the year 308 persons have applied for treatment, and of
these 91 were found to be tuberculous and were dealt with at the
Dispensary as their circumstances demanded.
Table I. shows the number of applications for each individual
month, and indicates the proportion of insured persons under the
National Insurance Act who applied for treatment, and the number of
those who were found to be tuberculous.