View report page

74
Visitation of Homes, etc.
During 1925 the patients were visited by the Sanitary Inspectors or by the
Tuberculosis Nurse; the arrangements made whereby after March 31st, 1925.
all such visits are paid by the Tuberculosis Nurse, came into operation and
continues.
Contacts.
All contacts are invited to attend for examination at the Tuberculosis
Dispensary.
Eighty-eight contacts, viz., 35 adults and 53 children under fifteen years of
age, responded to this invitation and were examined for the first time during the
year 1925. Of these, one adult was found to be suffering from pulmonary
tuberculosis; one was doubtfully so suffering. Eighty-six were definitely diagnosed
as not suffering from the disease. The routine examination of contacts is desirable
as a means of discovering not only cases of tuberculosis in early stages of infection,
but also advanced and infective cases which may be disseminating infection
although remaining undiscovered and untreated.
Arrangements were continued during the year for fuller co-operation with the
school medical service so as to ensure that no contacts of school age will remain
unexamined; if such examination cannot be carried out at the Dispensary the
School Medical Officers are notified so that the examination may be carried out at
the school. Information as to the results of such examinations, whether at the
Dispensary or the schools, is interchanged as necessary.
Prevention of Spitting.
The necessity for the prevention of spitting, with a view to minimising the
spread of tuberculosis, has been emphasised by the issue of warning cards on the
subject. These have been exhibited in the various buildings in the control of the
Council, also in common lodging houses, and in the workrooms of a number of
large firms in the Borough. In addition specially designed opal plates have been
placed on the Council buildings. They ask people not to spit and so prevent
not only tuberculosis, but pneumonia and other diseases the germs of which are
carried in the mouth and nose. It is very conceivable that such a disease as
encephalitis lethargica is spread in this way in towns.
Dangers to others from Coughing.
Posters were displayed and small illustrated handbills given away dealing
with the dangers resulting to others from patients coughing without guarding
the mouth. Recently the leaflet given to patients suffering from tuberculosis
has been revised and brought up-to-date.
Deaths from Pulmonary Tuberculosis.
The number of deaths from pulmonary tuberculosis during the year was
forty-five, a death rate of 104 per thousand in comparison with 1.08 for 1924.
The following table shows where the patients died in their own homes or
institutions:—