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42
The Dispensary as a Centre for Curative Treatment.
A large proportion of cases can be treated at the Dispensary,
usually persons who are able to follow their various
occupations with safety.
Treatment at the Dispensary should include treatment by
tuberculin.
Care must be taken to work in harmony with the medical
practitioners, and to this end a distinction would probably be
made between insured and uninsured persons. The former
would be provided with home treatment at the hands of a
private practitioner by the Insurance Committee, who would
have funds for the purpose, and the latter would receive treatment
at the Dispensary. The tuberculin treatment would also
be available for insured persons on the recommendation of
the medical attendant.
The Dispensary as a Centre for the. Examination of Contacts.
The examination of persons who had been in contact
with tuberculosis cases would be very valuable and possibly
would lead to the detection of the disease in its early stages
in cases which might otherwise have been neglected and overlooked.
The After Care of Patients.
The Dispensary would provide the means of keeping in
touch with persons discharged from sanatoria and hospitals,
who would be referred to the Dispensary for continued observation.
In this way the benefits of institutional treatment
could be maintained and a relapse prevented.
The Dispensary as a Centre of Education.
The Dispensary should constitute a centre to which all
interested persons could turn for information and guidance.
A nurse from the Dispensary would visit the patients in
their homes to instruct them in the best course to adopt in
their own interests and to prevent the spread of the disease
to others.
The nurse would also search out contacts for examination
by the Tuberculosis Officer.
The Constitution of the Dispensary.
The Dispensary should be established and controlled by
the Borough Council, and administered through the Public
Health Committee.