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6
I followed up the history of the children born in Parkside
during these years, and was able to show that the
children born in the Home had a 3-1 chance of surviving
their first year over those who were not born there. In my
opinion this was due to the care given them during their
residence in the Home (14 days) and the education of the
parent in mothercraft.
Credit for these results must be given to Miss Edington,
the Matron of the Home, who afterwards became the Superintendent
of the Hammersmith District Nursing Association.
It was largely due to her initiative and zeal that we
owe much of the good which followed.
Very shortly after my appointment I submitted a scheme
;o the Council for the establishment of a dispensary in the
Borough for the treatment of tuberculosis. This was
adopted, and the Dispensary was opened on 1st September,
1918, in Eavenscourt Park. During the first full year that
the Dispensary was open 724 new patients were examined
by the Tuberculosis Officer, and a total of 3,896 attendances
for the purposes of examination, observation and treatment
were recorded. In addition 351 visits were made by the
Tuberculosis Officer to the homes of patients. During 1914
212 deaths from tuberculosis were registered in the
Borough. By 1938 this number had gradually been
reduced to 87.
In 1941 the number of persons attending the Dispensary
for examination for the first time was 524 and the total
attendances 2,733. Deaths from tuberculosis registered
during the year had fallen to 103.
In the main body of the Report reference has been made
to the destruction of the old Tuberculosis Dispensary in
Ravenscourt Park and its removal to the British Postgraduate
Medical School. Since its establishment there
the work has been carried on under much better conditions,
and in my opinion the Dispensary is now in the place
where it always should have been, where the Tuberculosis
Officer has the advantage of all the ancilliary services,