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92
It will be seen that in the last three years the number of persons,
excluding contacts, examined for the first time is from 440—480, but
that the number of contacts examined at the Dispensary has fallen off.
This would appear to be due to the fact that the attendance of school
children was not urged as it was known they would be examined at
school under the arrangements now existing.
Instructions have now been given to the Tuberculosis Health
Visitors that they are to endeavour to persuade all contacts to come to
the Dispensary for examination. If school age contacts do not attend
within two weeks, a second visit is to be made to urge attendance.
Two weeks later reports are sent to the School Medical Officer stating
the results in cases examined at Dispensary and informing him of
those who had not attended for examination.
The total attendances and number of systematic examinations
shew a progressive increase.
Cases on observation for more than two months.—Of these a
large number are cases who ceased to attend before diagnosed or who
attended irregularly so that a satisfactory diagnosis could not be
arrived at in two months from date of first attendance.
The figures for patients on Domiciliary Treatment and for others
on Treatment or Supervision shew as much increased. This is explained
by the fact that an attempt was made at the end of 1925 to arrive
at as exact figures as possible in view of new returns required by
the Ministry of Health for the future. Many cases not previously
numbered as under supervision, owing to non-attendance for a long
time, are now included under this heading as they were not examined
and definitely discharged as not needing further supervision. Similarly
a number of cases are now included as on Domiciliary Treatment
though they may not have been recently seen and considered still in
need of Domiciliary Treatment. In some of these cases the doctors
have said they have not seen the patients for a long time. An
endeavour is being made to secure the re-attendance of these patients
for proper classification and get the figures as accurate as possible.
As regards Home Visits by the Tuberculosis Officer and the
Dispensary Nurses the figures vary considerably, due largely to changes
in staff. A change of Tuberculosis Officer took place in 1922 and in
1925. Till 1921 there was only one Nurse employed at the Dispensary.
Visits to notified cases were done chiefly by the general Health Visitors,