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St. Mary Abbot's Hospital.
The Kensington Board of Guardians provide at St. Mary Abbot's Hospital a ward containing
26 beds for male patients and a ward of 22 beds for female patients who are suffering from respiratory
tuberculosis. The latter ward has a good verandah with awnings where, whenever possible,
patients receive open air treatment. The beds are used for (1) emergency cases requiring immediate
institutional treatment whether or not sanatorium treatment is subsequently to be provided, (2)
advanced cases where the home conditions do not permit of proper isolation and (3) patients who are
not able to obtain adequate nursing attention at home.
No special provision is made at the hospital for non-respiratory cases but these are admitted
to the surgical wards when necessary.
Dr. Picard, the Tuberculosis Officer, has continued to act as Visiting Medical Officer to St.
Mary Abbot's Hospital and has paid weekly visits to that institution throughout the year. The
Tuberculosis Officer has arranged the admission of some cases from the Dispensary to the St. Mary
Abbot's Hospital and certain cases admitted to the hospital from other sources have been transferred
by him after due observation to various sanatoria provided by the London County Council.
The linking up of the Council's Dispensary with the Tuberculosis Wards of the St. Mary
Abbot's Hospital has proved of considerable value both from the curative and preventive aspect and,
on behalf of the Tuberculosis Officer and myself, I desire to thank Dr. Remington Hobbs, Medical
Superintendent of the Hospital, for the valuable assistance we have received from him and his
Assistant Medical Officers.
Medical Consultations and X-Ray Diagnosis.
The arrangements approved by the Ministry of Health and the County Council under which
the Tuberculosis Officer can consult Visiting Specialists at the St. Mary Abbot's Hospital and send
Dispensary patients to that institution for the purpose of X-ray diagnosis have remained in operation
throughout the year.
Co-operation with Medical Practitioners and other Bodies and Institutions.
The Tuberculosis Dispensary is used fairly extensively as a consultation and treatment centre
by School Medical Inspectors and the Medical Officers of School Treatment Centres. Reports are
sent by the Tuberculosis Officer to the Divisional Medical Officer of the London County Council in
regard to all school children who are contacts of notified cases, whether attending the Dispensary
or not, thus enabling the School Medical Inspectors to keep under observation those children who,
although found to be unaffected by tuberculosis at the time of the primary examination, are exposed
to infection in their homes. Those children who are found to be suffering from or are suspected of
having contracted the disease continue to attend the Tuberculosis Dispensary for further observation
and treatment.
An all important factor in the treatment of tuberculosis is early diagnosis and with this in
mind every endeavour has been made during the past few years to encourage medical practitioners
to avail themselves of the services of the Tuberculosis Officer in a consultative capacity. The
number of reports upon patients sent to medical practitioners has increased year by year. There
were 172 cases referred to the Dispensary by private practitioners during 1925 as compared with 89
in 1923 and 104 in 1924. These figures pay testimony to the growth of the favour in which the
Tuberculosis Dispensary is held by the local medical men.
The Ministry of Health have placed an obligation upon insurance practitioners to report sixmonthly
to the Tuberculosis Officer upon the condition and proposed method of treatment of all
persons upon their panel who are suffering from tuberculosis ; and the Tuberculosis Officer is
required to send to practitioners in regard to insured persons a copy of the report which is received
from the Medical Superintendents of sanatoria upon the discharge of patients from these institutions.
By this exchange of information the private practitioners become acquainted with the progress
made by their patients whilst undergoing sanatorium treatment and, if the insurance practitioners
sent in their reports regularly, the Tuberculosis Officer would be kept informed of the progress of all
patients who are under the care of these doctors.
Home Visiting.
The results of home visiting by tactful nurses are noteworthy and the work of the hospital
trained Women Health Officers in the Council's service has been an important factor in the progress
which has been made in the control of tuberculous infection. These Officers play a valuable part
in popular instruction by their visits to the homes of the sick and poor, and their importance as
agents for the discovery of early cases of tuberculosis is considerable.