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63
Supply of Extra Nourishment to Tuberculous Persons.
Three persons received extra nourishment during the year. The total amount supplied was
84 pints of milk and 84 new laid eggs, at a cost to the council of £1 10s. 1½d.
Arrangements for " Care " and " After Care."
In July, 1922, the council approved a proposal for the constitution of a borough tuberculosis
care committee, and this committee, which commenced its activities in December of that year,
undertakes all the " care " and " after-care " work in the borough.
The work of the care committee has been considerably increased under the scheme introduced
by the London county council last April of referring all cases admitted to the council's general
hospitals to the care committee for assessing. There has also been a marked increase in the
number of visits paid in connection with the collection of payments.
During 1932 there were 216 cases assessed and 529 reviewed, whereas in the last nine months
of 1933, covering the period of the new arrangement, the corresponding figures were 337 and 625.
The members of the care committee have devoted considerable time and attention to the
care and after-care work; and attendances at the meetings numbered 50 more than during 1932.
Arrangements for Finding Employment.
The difficulties of a care committee in securing work for persons whose physical capacity is
limited will be readily appreciated, but every effort is made in this matter.
In some instances the intervention of the tuberculosis care committee has resulted in employers
holding open the positions of men about to undergo sanatorium treatment.
Handicrafts Class.
The handicraft class formerly held, but abandoned at the end of 1929 owing to the difficulty
in maintaining satisfactory attendance, has been revived under the auspices of the Central Fund
for the Industrial Welfare of Tuberculous Persons, who invited joint action by the boroughs of
Paddington, St. Marylebone and Kensington.
A class for glove making was started in October, 1931. Meetings are held weekly at the
Paddington tuberculosis dispensary, No. 20, Talbot Road. The class has been continued throughout
1933 and at the end of the year 3 patients from Kensington were in regular attendance and a
favourable report was received of their work. There are at present a few vacancies in the class.
The Kensington borough council disinfects all gloves made by exposing them to formalin
vapour, which has been shown by experiment to be completely effective as a sterilizer without
injuring the texture or colour of the gloves.
The Central Fund is experiencing some difficulty in disposing of the gloves, and asks for the
co-operation of the Kensington tuberculosis care committee and any other persons interested in
this work.
Provision of Shelters at the Homes of Patients.
The council are prepared to loan shelters and they keep several in readiness at their Wood Lane
depot but, at the present time, none is in use.