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medical practitioner to assist at the Clinic held on Tuesday
afternoons at 212 Camberwell New Road. The numbers attending
both Clinics have been mounting rapidly in the past two or three
weeks and unless applicants are to be turned away some such
increase in the facilities available becomes obligatory. An increase
in the annual expenditure is unavoidable, and a provision has been
suggested in the estimates for next year as well as for the current
quarter.
There is, however, another aspect of the question which the
Council has not yet considered. The local medical practioners have
upon numerous occasions voiced their wish to co-operate in some
way with the Council in improving the health of the community
by raising the standard of immunity to diphtheria. There is every
hope that in practice the employment indirectly of the local
medical practitioners would lead to the immunization of much
larger numbers than the Council's present Clinics could possibly
deal with. A scheme of this kind has been in operation in other
districts in and around London, which is proving successful.
Medical practitioners are paid a sum of ten shillings by the Local
Authority for every person immunized by them, the cost of material,
visits, etc., being borne entirely by the doctor concerned. Moreover,
the Public Medical Service for London still further encourages and
assists its members by supplying them with materials at reduced
prices.
The scheme of co-operation briefly outlined above should receive
the earnest consideration of the Council, as calculated both to
popularise immunization by securing the goodwill of the medical
profession and to improve the co-operation which already exists
between the family doctor and the Medical Officer of Health.
A. G. G. Thompson, m.d.
Medical Officer of Health.
4th February, 1935. Received
Appendix B.
Anthrax.
Extract from the Minutes of the Council,
26th September, 1935.
A case of anthrax was officially notified on the 9th July last,
together with the news that the patient had unfortunately died
two days previously.
From inquiries made it appears that the malignant pustule was
noticed on the cheek on the 3rd July, but, unfortunately, the