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93
The following indicates the reasons for non-attendance in the remaining
cases:—
Bemoved to Hospitals, etc., for treatment without prior
attendance at Dispensary 22
Out-patients at other Hospitals or Dispensaries 3
Dead before notification or died before attendance at
Dispensary 10
Treatment at home by private doctor 4
Not traced and common lodging house cases 10
Removed from Borough 5
54
Delayed Notification.
The Public Health (Tuberculosis) Regulations, 1912, require notification within
48 hours of the medical practitioner first becoming aware that the person is
suffering from tuberculosis. It is still found that medical practitioners do not
notify cases of this disease until tubercle bacilli have been found in the sputum
and in a number of cases notifications are not received until the death of the
patient or shortly before death takes place. In the past year nine cases were
notified only at death, six within one month of death, seven within three months
and two within six months of death. Twenty-two of these cases died in hospitals.
It is unfortunate that by a proviso in the Regulations of 1912, a medical practitioner is
not required to notify a case of tuberculosis if he has reasonable grounds for believing that
the case has already been notified. It would seem that any disadvantage accruing from
duplication would be easily outweighed by the advantage of the additional encouragement to
promote early notification which would ensue from the withdrawal of this proviso from the
Regulations.
Institutional Treatment.
During the year notifications were received of 97 admissions to institutions.
These admissions represent 82 patients, some of whom are transferred from one
institution to another, and others are discharged, or take their own discharge,
and subsequently are re-admitted.
The admissions were to the following institutions:—
Poor Law Institutions 42
Institutions of the Metropolitan Asylums Board 40
Other Institutions 15
Visits to Homes, etc.
During 1929 the Tuberculosis Officer made 30 visits to the homes of patients,
The general visitation of the patients and supervision of home conditions is carried
out by the Tuberculosis Nurses who made 1,193 visits.
Contacts.
All contacts are invited to attend for examination at the Tuberculosis
Dispensary.