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APPENDIX B.
Bethnal Green Tuberculosis Dispensary.
REPORT FOR THE YEAR 1924,
By H. TYLFORD HOWEĹL, M.R.C.S., Eng., L.R.C.P., Lond.,
Clinical Tuberculosis Officer.
For the fourth year in succession I am pleased to report that there has been
no change in the personnel of the Dispensary, and the department is fortunate
in having retained the services of Dr. F. W. Hamilton, the Junior Tuberculosis
Officer, the Nurse and the Clerk.
There has been no radical change in routine, and the sessions have remained
the same. Patients are seen on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and
Saturday mornings from 10 to 12 o'clock, Wednesday evenings from 5.30 to 7
o'clock, and Thursday evenings from 7.30 to 9 o'clock. Saturday mornings are
mainly for school children and such adults as find it difficult to attend at other
times, while the evening sessions are reserved for patients who are at work during
the day. Patients may present themselves during any part of the session, and
are seen in order of their arrival, so that the period of waiting is reduced to a
minimum.
The accommodation of the department is still adequate in every respect,
and compares very favourably with that of other dispensaries. We have at our
disposal waiting-rooms, two consulting-rooms, with two dressing-rooms and a
dark-room for the examination of throat cases attached to each. There is also
a laboratory, while two rooms are set apart for the clerical work.
The Tuberculosis Officers continue to make use of the special departments
of the Hospital. This arrangement enables us to investigate thoroughly a case
on the spot, while in addition we have the advantage of a personal interview
with the consultant concerned. The fact that 42 cases were referred to the
X-ray department and 32 to the dentist, in addition to those referred to the
out-patient physicians and the surgeons, shows that we appreciate the usefulness
of such an arrangement. The number of cases referred to the dentist is
small, but this is due to the fact that it is extremely difficult to persuade patients
that the extraction of septic teeth is desirable unless they actually cause pain.