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40
Dr. Price quite rightly states that certain ancilliary
services are absolutely essential, such as the provision
of home nursing, and adequate Home Help Service and
invalid meal service and regular visits by the clinic
staff.
A very interesting feature at the Chest Clinic
is the introduction of the service for carrying out
artificial Pneumothorax. In pre-war days by arrangement
with Brompton Hospital and other hospitals, A.P.
treatment, (as it was called), was carried out on many
selected cases, but this invariably meant patients had
to go to the hospitals and wait, - perhaps for a long
time - before their turn came for treatment. Now
this is, to a large extent remedied by the provision
of the necessary rooms and apparatus at the Chest
Clinic and carried out by Dr. Price and his assistant.
I was also very glad to hear that Dr. Price had
success in getting contacts up for examinations for
example in 1938, 272 contacts were examined, whereas
in 1949, the figure was 493.
Contact examinations were, sometimes very difficult
to arrange and it was not an easy matter to persuade
contacts to come up, especially if they were feeling
quite well themselves and had no symptons which were
apparent.
I think there is undoubtedly a greater intelligence
on the part of the public, and this may account
for a more ready response to the persuasion of the
Chest Clinic staff. As Dr. Price says, "The new
attitude to the Epidemiology of Tuberculosis and
particularly the growing realisation that social
factors play such a large part in the spreading of
disease, together with the new diagnosis aids and
introduction of simpler, easier and more efficient
methods of treatment and rehabilitation are rapidly
changing the attitude of the Chest Clinic staff and
more slowly of the general population."