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Certificates of Vaccination and Inoculation.
A number of requests were received from residents in the
Borough for a certificate of vaccination or inoculation to be
authenticated for the purpose of travel abroad. The signature
of the person issuing the certificate was verified in each case
as that of a registered medical practitioner practising in
Camberwell and the certificate was endorsed accordingly.
Mass Miniature Radiography.
Ministry of Health Memorandum dated August 24th,
1944, points out that the primary purpose of mass radiography
is not diagnosis in the ordinary sense; its true function is to
discover, in a group of ostensibly healthy persons, those who
have any sign indicating the possibility of any incipient disease
which should be further investigated by more intensive means
of diagnosis.
The Miniature Mass Radiography Unit provided by the
South-East Metropolitan Regional Hospitals Board was in
operation at the South-Eastern Hospital during the months of
September and October, 1948. The Camberwell Public Health
Department was asked to recruit approximately 3,000 volunteers
from factories and workplaces to attend for examination. A
subsequent request was received to increase this figure if
possible.
Letters were accordingly addressed to the managements
of factories, offices and shops in the Borough drawing attention
to the facilities which were being provided for any of their
employees who wished to take advantage of this service, and a
total of 3,898 persons (2,305 men and 1,593 women) attended
for examination.
Of this number 15 men (0.65 per cent.) and 17 women
(1.06 per cent.) were found to be probably tuberculous and
were referred to their own medical practitioners. In addition,
two men and five women were referred to their doctors for
other abnormalities discovered.
The response to mass radiography by the inhabitants of
Camberwell has so far been satisfactory. To be effective in
helping to eradicate tuberculosis in a community, however,
Mass Radiography must be a continuous process. It is of little
use, except for statistical purposes, to examine a cross-section
of the population at one particular period unless it is intended
to follow this up with further surveys at appropriate intervals.
A negative result from one examination is no guarantee that
tuberculosis will not develop in the future. Serial examinations
are desirable over a considerable period of time.