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73
APPENDIX.
Bethnal Green Tuberculosis Dispensary.
ABSTRACT OF REPORT FOR THE YEAR 1920,
By H. Tylford Howell, M.R.C.S. Eng., L.R.C.P. Lond.,
Clinical Tuberculosis Officer.
During the year several changes have taken place in the working
arrangements of the Dispensary. In January the post of Tuberculosis
Officer to Bethnal Green became vacant by the resignation of Dr.
Hebert, who had done most valuable work both for the Hospital and
the Dispensary for more than four years.
Following his departure it was decided to place the direction of the
work for both the Boroughs of Hackney and Bethnal Green under one
Senior Tuberculosis Officer, and to appoint a Junior Officer to assist him.
I was appointed to the senior post, while Dr. J. R. MacNeill, late
Resident Medical Officer at Victoria Park Hospital, was selected as
junior.
Dr. MacNeill left in November, and was succeeded by Dr. F. W.
Hamilton, of the Royal Chest Hospital, City Road, where he had acted
as Resident Medical Officer, and later as Senior Assistant Tuberculosis
Officer. This amalgamation of the two boroughs has proved to be quite
satisfactory in practice. Previously it often happened that in a particular
session the cases from one borough greatly predominated, thus
throwing perhaps about four-fifths of the work 011 the particular officer
concerned. This is now remedied, as the work can be more evenly
distributed between the two officers, and it is thus possible to give more
individual attention to each case.
Seven sessions are still held each week, but it was found necessary
during the year to make some alteration. Previously it was our custom
to see patients 011 three evenings and four mornings each week. It
was found that the number of attendances did not justify three evening
sessions, while the morning sessions were becoming unwieldy. With
the sanction of the borough authorities it was decided to cancel an
evening session and to replace it by a morning one. An alteration was
also made ill the evening hours. Previously patients were admitted any
time between 7.30 and 9 o'clock, so that it often happened 011 an
otherwise slack evening that several new cases would appear at only
a few minutes before the hour for closing. This would mean that our
work would not be completed till after 10 p.m., whereas if the patients