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130
I am grateful to the local charitable organisations for their
continued support. The Hackney and Bethnal Green branches
of the Invalid Children's Aid Association are particularly helpful
in arranging convalescent treatment for our debilitated children.
The Charity Organisation Society and the United Services Fund
provide financial assistance in numbers of our cases, and arrange
for the supply of clothing, dentures, and surgical instruments,
etc., in others.
The Handicrafts Class, run by the Hackney & Stoke Newington
Tuberculosis Care Committee, continues to do very useful work.
As previously explained, the classes do not aim at providing a
means of livelihood for patients, but some interesting work to
occupy their minds and prevent them from brooding over their
condition. Incidentally they also provide a little pocket money,
as any article made by a patient is sold, and after deducting the
cost of any material and a small percentage for class funds, the
surplus is paid over to the worker. Patients are taught basketmaking,
artificial flower making, glove making, and leatherbead,
and pewter work, or any other craft that a patient may
particularly desire. The class is in a flourishing state financially,
thanks to the support of the National Association for the Prevention
of Tuberculosis, the Alexandra Rose Day Fund, and certain
local bodies.
Our main difficulty at present is in the sale of the goods, and
we ask for further local support in this direction. A two days'
sale of work will be held at the Town Hall, Hackney (kindly lent
for the purpose by the Mayor and Corporation) in the Autumn.
It is hoped that the Mayors of Hackney and Stoke Newington will
formally open the sale, and we are particularly grateful to them
for their support and the kindly interest they take in the Class.
I continue to act as Consultant to the Bethnal Green Hospital
and visit the Hospital regularly every fortnight, or more frequently
if required.
The supply of extra nourishment to necessitous cases of
Tuberculosis was, until 1933, provided by the Boroughs. In the
amended scheme, the Public Assistance Committee undertake
responsibility for the provision of extra diet for cases of tuberculosis
already in receipt of relief, leaving the Borough to provide
for those who do not come under the care of the former body.
This arrangement has worked very satisfactory, since it has
released funds formerly expended by the Boroughs on those in
receipt of relief, and enables us to extend the grant, while it has
also obviated the possibility of overlapping.
I submit below statistical tables showing the work of the
Dispensary for the year. Apart from a slight fall in the number