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50
REPORT BY THE TUBERCULOSIS OFFICER
(DR. HAMILTON) ON THE WORK OF THE
TUBERCULOSIS DISPENSARY.
Fulham Tuberculosis Dispensary.
Annual Report, 1927.
The work of the Dispensary has been carried on
during the past year along the lines which have been
followed hitherto, and no alterations in the routine
beyond those of detail have been made. The personnel
of the department has remained unaltered, but unfortunately
several members of the Staff have been
absent for varying periods owing to ill-health, while
I regret to have to record that Dr. Hardy was for
this reason away from duty for the last three months
of the year, at the end of which he had not been able
to return, his absence being severely felt both by his
colleagues and by the patients.
In spite of the handicaps thus imposed, it is gratifying
to be able to report that the work of the Dispensary
has been well maintained, and this can be
realised by a perusal of the statistics for the year, a
summary of which is appended at the end of this
section. The figures present certain points of interest
which reflect the general trend and objects of the
Dispensary system as set forth in the various memoranda
issued from time to time by the Ministry of
Health and I do not propose to institute a close comparison
between the numbers recorded in the different
tables this year and those of last year but merely to
draw attention briefly to those which illustrate some
of the features most characteristic of the type of work
done in Fulham.
There has been an increase in the number of new
cases seen from 591 in 1926 to 644 in 1927 but at the
same time the notifications have fallen from 275 to
225. Coincidentally with this decrease and as a result
of vigorous following up of old cases in order to weed
out those cured and those no longer needing super-