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62
The Council adopted the recommendation on 1st January,
1936.
The Tuberculosis Officer continues to act as honorary Tuberculosis
Consultant to St. James's Hospital, and visits the hospital
every week. Patients are found to be readier to enter hospital when
they know this arrangement exists. In addition to the patients in
the tuberculosis wards many special cases are seen in other wards
at the request of the Medical Superintendent.
Patients and Attendances.
In 1935 844 patients attended the dispensary for primary
examination, 116 more than in 1934. These consisted of 577
persons who were referred by medical practitioners, otherwise
presented themselves for examination, or were receiving treatment
under the London County Council's tuberculosis scheme; 227 who
had been in contact with cases of tuberculosis; and 40 already
notified in other districts, who had moved into Battersea.
Of these 844 cases 561 were discharged as non-tuberculous
(including 218 of the contacts), 205 were found to be suffering from
the disease, and 78 (including 7 contacts) were kept under observation
for diagnosis.
Particulars of the 205 positive cases are given under the next
heading, and also in form T.145 on page 125.
Old patients to the number of 615 also attended during the
year, and the total number of attendances at the Dispensary during
the year was 3,863 (of which 3,019 were of old patients), as compared
with 3,577 in 1934.
Visits to the homes of dispensary patients were made by the
Tuberculosis Officers in 340 instances, and 4,418 visits were made
by the Dispensary nursing staff, including 383 to patients not on
the Dispensary register. The number of deaths of Dispensary
patients was 92 as compared with 95 in 1934. Sixty-one of the
patients were discharged as "recovered" or"diagnosis not
confirmed" during the year, and 20 others ceased to attend, in
addition to 76 patients who removed to other districts.
New Patients.
The five following tables contain particulars of the 205 new
cases found to be suffering from tuberculosis.
In the first table the Pulmonary cases are grouped under two
headings:—
(1) Group T.B. minus. In those cases Tubercle bacilli
have never been found to be present in the sputum.
(2) Group T.B. plus. In those cases Tubercle bacilli have
been found in the sputum at some time.