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BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK.
Southwark Tuberculosis Dispensary,
82-84, Newington Causeway, S.E.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the
Borough of Southwark.
Sir and Gentlemen,
I have pleasure in presenting the Annual Report of work done at the
Tuberculosis Dispensary during the year 1917, which shows a considerable
increase on the work done in any preceding year.
There has been a larger attendance of adult patients this being due
to the number of cases sent by the Recruiting Boards and the Ministry
of Pensions for examination and report, and to the fact that notification
is now the rule rather than the exception, which enables the dispensary
to get into touch with cases and to encourage them to apply there for
advice as to suitable treatment.
The total attendances have also shown a great increase over the two
preceding years as shown in Table E.
The home visitation by the nurses has resulted in better conditions
and an increased number of visits have been paid by them with the
objects of giving the patients and their relatives instructions as to the
prevention of infection and bringing contact cases to the dispensary for
examination, while the sanitary condition of the houses has been under
the supervision of the Public Health Department, which has also carried
out where necessary spraying, stripping and cleansing of rooms, and
the disinfection of the bedding.
The granting of extra rations to patients suffering from Tuberculosis
has been a great benefit, and patients who had lost weight on normal
rations to a marked degree soon showed a definate increase when their
allowance of meat and fats was supplemented, and their general condition
showed improvement also. This was to be expected, as consumption is
a wasting disease, and the results fully bore out the wisdom of the grant
of extra nourishment. It also had a second advantage, which was that
patients who were inclined to be dilatory in their attendance became