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Prevention and Treatment of Tuberculosis.
The centre of the Anti-Tuberculosis work in the Borough is the
Tuberculosis Clinic, and here the work is co-ordinated with that of all
the agencies dealing with the prevention and treatment of the disease,
such as the Health and Pensions Ministries, the London County
Council, the Poor Law authorities, the hospitals, the medical practitioners
and the various voluntary bodies engaged in Anti-Tuberculosis
work. The success of the work must depend primarily on the early
detection of the cases and their prompt treatment, and on the
enforcement among the cases of strict preventive measures. For the
former the main responsibility must rest with the medical practitioners
and the Clinic staff. Between these two units there must be the closest
co-operation. The medical practitioners are encouraged to avail
themselves of the assistance of the Clinic in placing at their disposal
the aids to the diagnosis of their doubtful or suspected cases. In
every case which is referred to the Clinic for examination a report is
furnished to the practitioners as soon as a diagnosis is made. Where
a positive diagnosis is made the practitioner is immediately informed
and requested to notify the case. Suitable treatment is suggested and
every assistance offered as far as possible to arrange such treatment.
Positive cases are also referred to the Secretary of the After-Care
Committee, so that, if it is necessary, the fullest advantage may be
taken of the assistance which this Committee offers. Cases in which
a negative diagnosis is made are promptly returned to the practitioner
who sends them, and to whom a report is also sent.
Detection of Cases.—During the year 633 persons presented
themselves for the first time at the Clinic, which, with 14 cases under
observation for diagnosis from the previous year, made a total of 647
cases for diagnosis. Of these, 106 were found to be suffering from
Pulmonary Tuberculosis and 33 from other forms of Tuberculosis.
It is regrettable to have to record that only 30 per cent. of these were
incipient cases, and too many still present themselves in which the
disease is well established. Most of these cases had only sought
medical advice for the first time either on presenting themselves at the
Dispensary or a week or two before it when they consulted their own
doctors. In some cases, however, the tuberculous condition was
masked by other conditions to which treatment had been previously
directed, and so the disease was considerably advanced before being
discovered. But in the type of disease which has an insidious catarrhal