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12
better if the after-care of the tuberculous person was delegated to the
boroughs. Chest clinics are still mainly organized on a borough basis,
as are the tuberculosis care committees. The local town hall is the first
port of call in rehousing. The borough council controls requisitioned
property, it is the food and drugs authority and it possesses a staff of
sanitary inspectors who are well versed in the prevention of infectious
disease.
I do not for one moment want to undervalue the work of the
tuberculosis health visitor. Arrangements have been made whereby the
first visit after notification is paid by her and the sanitary inspector does
not visit until the patient has received the appropriate advice and
explanation of his condition which can be so satisfactorily given by the
skilled nurse. The tuberculosis scheme is criticisable not only because
authority is divided between two bodies, but because it fails to take into
consideration the valuable help which can be provided by the borough
councils.
I would like to express my thanks to Dr. Shneerson, the Chest
Physician, for his help and advice throughout the year, and testify my
appreciation of the help which the Tuberculosis Care Committee has
given to many families where one of its members is suffering from this
chronic long drawn out illness.
During the year, with the help of the staff of the Chest Clinic, a
review was made of our Tuberculosis Register. As a result it was
possible to remove from the Register 400 names. At the end of the
year there were 718 pulmonary and 67 non-pulmonary cases of tuberculosis
known to the Department. These figures are a much more
accurate estimate of the notified cases of tuberculosis in the Borough
than the figures previously quoted.
MASS X-RAY.
No suitable accommodation was readily available in the Borough
and the Mass X-ray Unit was unable to visit Hampstead. Between the
8th and 30th January however, the Unit was established at the Student
Health Association, 17, Gordon Street, W.C.I, and was available for
employees and residents of the Borough.
Circulars were sent to over 70 of the larger employers and an
announcement was made in the local press. The facilities were available
to other Boroughs, and no separate summary of attendances and results
in respect of Hampstead people is available in respect of this survey.
Owing to the very limited time that the Unit was able to make
available for Hampstead people, it was not possible to display posters,
as it was felt that such a course might create a demand that the Unit
would be unable to meet.
FOOD POISONING.
During the year we received 6 notifications of cases of food
poisoning. In two cases only was it possible to trace the cause of the
illness.