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114
APPENDIX.
TUBERCULOSIS DISPENSARY.
ANNUAL REPORT, 1933.
To the Medical Officer of Health.
I beg to submit herewith a report on the work carried out
at the Tuberculosis Dispensary during the year ended 31st December,
1933. There is no change to record in the Dispensary staff during
the twelve months under review, and the routine work of the
Dispensary has been carried on as in previous years.
The number of new patients attending the Dispensary during
the year was 548, including 21 patients transferred from other
areas. Thus 51 fewer patients attended the Dispensary than in the
previous year. This is the lowest number of new patients recorded
for many vears, and coincides with the fewest number of notifications received by the Medical Officer of Health since notification
was made compulsory and the lowest death rate from Tuberculosis
ever recorded in the Borough.
The number of "contacts" examined during the year was also
lower at 189 compared with 212 in the previous year, 209 in 1931,
and 153 in 1930. The fall in the number of "contacts" examined
corresponds with the smaller number of new patients examined,
but considerable difficulty is still experienced in persuading "contacts" to attend for examination in spite of special efforts made by
the staff to invite them. They may attend for examination at
any session held at the Dispensary, and a special session has been
set aside for them weekly. Of the "contacts" examined 88 were
adults and 101 children. Two were found to be suffering from
Tuberculosis, and in one other case the diagnosis was not completed
at the end of the year.
During the year 1933, 152 patients were sent away for institutional treatment under the London County Council's Tuberculosis Scheme. Of this number 96 were discharged during the
year, and 56 were still in institutions on the 31st December. Two
patients were admitted to hospital for observation with a view to
arriving at a definite diagnosis. One was discharged as nontuberculous, and in the other case the diagnosis was not completed
at the end of the year. Of the remaining 94 patients three were
suffering from Non-Pulmonary Tuberculosis, and 91 from Pulmonary Tuberculosis, and the results of treatment on discharge are
set out in Table VI. The average waiting period between recommendation for and admission to institution was 11 days, three days
less than in the previous year, and the average length of stay 110
days. Thirty patients were discharged at their own request, a
considerably higher number than in the previous year. Of the