View report page

70
triennially and in April the London County Council fixed the
amount for the three financial years 1936 to 1939 at £1,084 per
annum, as compared with £1,037 per annum during the previous
triennium.
The investigations of a scholar appointed by the Royal College
of Physicians into the early stages of tuberculosis (referred to in
the last annual report) were continued at the Dispensary during
the year.
The Dispensary is affiliated with St. Thomas's Hospital, and
the X-ray examination work carried out there is referred to on
page 73.
Patients and Attendances.
In 1936 858 patients attended the dispensary for primary
examination, 14 more than in 1935. These consisted of 596
persons who were referred by medical practitioners, otherwise
presented themselves for examination, or were receiving treatment
under the London County Council's tuberculosis scheme ; 238 who
had been in contact with cases of tuberculosis ; and 24 already
notified in other districts, who had moved into Battersea.
Of these 858 cases 666 were discharged as non-tuberculous
(including 232 of the contacts), 179 were found to be suffering from
the disease, and 13 (including 1 contact) were kept under observation
for diagnosis.
Particulars of the 179 positive cases are given under the next
heading, and also in form T.145 on page 137.
Old patients to the number of 631 also attended during the
year, and the total number of attendances at the Dispensary during
the year was 4,024 (of which 3,166 were of old patients), as compared
with 3,863 in 1935.
Visits to the homes of dispensary patients were made by the
Tuberculosis Officers in 403 instances, and 4,414 visits were made
by the Dispensary nursing staff, including 325 to patients not on
the Dispensary register. The number of deaths of Dispensary
patients was 98 as compared with 92 in 1935. Seventy of the
patients were discharged as " recovered " during the year, and 114
patients removed to other districts or ceased to attend.
New Patients.
The five following tables contain particulars of the 179 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.