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56
Institutional Treatment.
During the year notifications were received of 90 admissions to institutions.
These admissions represent 65 patients, some of whom were transferred from one
institution to another, and others were discharged, or took their own discharge,
and subsequently were readmitted.
The admissions were to the following institutions:—
Institutions of the London County Council 68
Other institutions 22
Visits to Homes, etc.
During 1938 the Tuberculosis Officer made 21 visits to the homes of patients.
The general visitation of the patients and supervision of home conditions is carried
out by the Tuberculosis Nurse who made 969 visits.
The advice given by the Tuberculosis Nurse includes suggestions respecting
food and cooking and suitable cookery books are supplied free of charge when
required.
Contacts.
All contacts are urged to attend for examination at the Tuberculosis
Dispensary.
Fifty-four contacts, viz., 31 adults and 23 children under fifteen years of
age, were examined for the first time during the year 1938. Of these,
five adults were found to be definitely suffering from tuberculosis. Forty-nine
were definitely diagnosed as not suffering from the disease. The routine
examination of contacts is desirable as a means of discovering not only cases of
tuberculosis in early stages of infection but even definitely infective cases which
may be disseminating infection although remaining undiscovered and untreated.
Arrangements were continued during the year for co-operation with the
school medical service to ensure that no contacts of school age remain
unexamined; if such examination cannot be carried out at the Dispensary the
School Medical Officers are notified so that the examination may be carried out at
the school. Information as to the results of such examinations, whether at the
Dispensary or the schools, is interchanged as necessary.