View report page

77
Work this year has proceeded on lines similar to those indicated in last year's
report; and co-operation has been maintained with the Public Health Department,
the local practitioners and University College Hospital, as also with the School
Medical Service and the Maternity and Child Welfare Centre.
Special attention has been paid this year to the important question of dietary
and cooking. It is frequently found that patients prejudice their chances of
improvement, or fail to maintain progress already made, owing to unsuitable food
and bad cooking; and when it is remembered that dyspepsia is a common accompaniment
of tuberculosis in all forms and in all stages the importance of such
matters as a factor in treatment becomes manifest. Small cookery books have
been distributed by the Dispensary Nurse in suitable cases so as to help in the
preparation of the dishes concerned.
The alteration of the form of Annual Return required by the Ministry of
Health, and the provisions of Memorandum 37/T, have involved a revision of the
Dispensary Register together with a review of the case papers and changes in the
method of keeping records. These changes are proceeding.
In conclusion it is a pleasure to acknowledge the assistance which the work of
the Dispensary continues to receive from the Tuberculosis Care Committee.
J. A. STRUTHERS.
Public Health (Prevention of Tuberculosis) Regulations, 1925.
These Regulations which came into force in August, 1925, are intended to
prevent persons suffering with pulmonary tuberculosis from entering or continuing
any employment or occupation in connection with a dairy which would involve
the milking of cows, treatment of milk or the handling of vessels used for containing
milk.
During the past year the Council was asked to support representations to the
Minister of Health that the Regulations should be amended so as to require that a
person about to enter employment in connection with the milk trade should be
required to produce to the local authority a recent certificate from a registered
medical practitioner to the effect that the intending entrant into the employment
was not suffering from tuberculosis. The Council expressed approval of the
proposal to extend the Regulations so as to require a certificate of freedom from
infection, but expressed the view that such certificate should be given by the
Tuberculosis Officer, and should be produced, not to the local authority, but to
the employer, and should be subject to annual renewal, and that it should be an
offence for an employer to engage any such person without such medical certificate.
A communication on these lines was forwarded to the Ministry of Health; in reply
a communication was received drawing attention to the action taken by a Metropolitan
Borough Council in circularising the milk purveyors in their area inviting
them to arrange for the examination, by the Tuberculosis Officers, of all persons
who applied to them for employment. The Minister expressed the view that this
course had much to commend it and was one which might be adopted by other
local authorities. Pursuant to this suggestion the Public Health Committee
(irranged with the Tuberculosis Officer for the examination of prospective