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to the L.C.C. In these cases the families were provided with suitable
accommodation in the Council's Estates, or were receiving preferential
consideration at the year end.
Families occasionally come to the notice of this department to
whom no assistance can be given in the way of abating existing overcrowding
because of absence of room internally for a bed, or
externally for a sleeping shelter.
Of 62 definitely infectious cases who became known to the
Dispensary Staff in 1934,
28 were sharing beds
9 „ „ rooms
In 23 other cases it was possible to arrange separate sleeping
accommodation. In 11 of the worst cases suitable improvement was
effected through the efforts of the nurses.
The seven sleeping shelters belonging to the Council were in
constant use during the year. Gifts of bedding and clothing from
several donors were distributed by the nurses to necessitous cases.
In one or two instances it was found possible to isolate an infectious
case at home by supplying a bed.
As in previous years ordinary Sanitary defects were notified to
the Public Health Department for necessary action.
Dispensary.—665 new patients including 26 transfers were seen
in connection with the Dispensary during the year. The sources
from which these patients came were as follows : —
Doctors 245
Hospitals 16
School Medical Service 10
Nurses 270
Own application 124
Contacts.—The number examined during the year was 207.
This is a very satisfactory index of the success which follows the
endeavours of the nurses. Contacts are notoriously difficult to
examine, because, feeling well, they do not realise the importance
of the procedure. Eight of those examined were considered definitely
tuberculous, and in 2 cases the diagnosis at the year end was not
completed.
In connection with contact examination, attention is directed to
the results of a series of tuberculin tests carried out during the year
and commented on in another part of this Report.