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who has not long to live wants to be within easy reach of his friends,
and he would probably be more comfortable in a smaller institution
with about 50 beds in the immediate vicinity of his home.
The London Insurance Committee has made ample provision
for discharged soldiers and sailors with advanced tuberculosis.
Beds have been obtained at fever hospitals as well as in the country
and at the seaside, and the waiting period for admission is seldom
more than a few days.
Although institutional treatment in the case of ex-soldiers is
well provided tor, the problem of employment for those who have
derived benefit from this treatment is still unsolved. Many would
be better for some light work to occupy part of their time, but the
War Pensions Committee have rarely been able to find such employment
for them, and there is no existing organisation to deal with the
matter.
The Tuberculosis Officers acted as Medical Referees for the Local
War Pensions Committees on tuberculous cases, and also on cases
suspected of having tuberculosis by Pensions Medical Boards. This
entailed a good deal of work, but it kept them in close touch with
all discharged men of both services.
The statistical tables given later are self-explanatory and need
few remarks. The totals of new cases have fallen slightly in both
Boroughs—in Hackney largely owing to the fact that about 300
fewer "contacts" were sent to the dispensary for examination. The
number of patients sent by local practitioners remains high compared
with the figures of other dispensaries, and most of the doctors in
the neighbourhood make use of the dispensary for purposes of
consultation, and every effort has been made to encourage them to
do so.
The written reports to local practitioners on cases sent by them
to the dispensary amounted to 557 from the two boroughs.