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REPORT OF CONSULTANT PHYSICIAN
CAMBERWELL CHEST CLINIC
During the year, 15,146 units of X-ray work were carried out.
Of this total 7,350 new cases had X-ray examination, and as a
result 2,247 new patients had a full clinical examination. It
will be seen from the table that there has been an appreciable
increase in the work in this department since 1956. The increase
in work has no doubt come about in part because of the service
we are able to give to general practitioners. It is possible to
X-ray a patient and send the report to the general practitioner
all in the same day, and those patients that need to be seen for
clinical examination are given an appointment within a few days.
Unfortunately, this service to general practitioners is getting
increasingly difficult to maintain with the present small medical
and clinical staff.
There has been a gratifying decrease in the number of
patients with tuberculosis who attended either for the first time
or for regular supervision, but this decrease has not led to any
easing of the work of the department, since many more patients
with pulmonary and cardiopulmonary symptoms are referred to
us for advice and treatment. The number of new cases added to
the register was 185, of which five were non-respiratory cases.
This total is considerably less than the previous year when the
figures were 343 and 15 respectively. Only eight cases came in
from other areas but nearly the same number as the previous
year, i.e., 87 cases on the register moved out of Camberwell.
Twenty-six patients whose names had been on the register died
and 32 deaths were directly attributable to tuberculosis.
Nine hundred and fifty-four persons were examined as
contacts for the first time during the year. B.C.G. vaccination
was given to 1,150 children, 649 of these being contacts and
children who were not vaccinated by the B.C.G. teams at school,
and 501 babies born in the maternity department in St. Giles'
Hospital.
1956 1957 1958
Cases on Register 1,886 1,771 1,698
Attendances 10,860 10,460 11,815
New cases 5,918 6,164 7,530
X-rays 10,953 11,763 15,146
Patients examined during 1958 for the first time by:
(a) Complete examination 2,247
(b) X-ray only 5,283