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The number of persons under dispensary supervision excluding
domiciliary patients at 31st December, 1925, was 484.
The number of insured persons under domiciliary treatment at 31st
December, 1925, was 757.
References to affiliated hospital in the year were 16.
In addition to the visits paid to dispensary cases, the Health Visitors
paid 1179 visits to non-dispensary cases.
It will be noted that there is a sharp decline in the work performed by
the Tuberculosis Officer as compared with last year. The reason is that
a full-time permanent Tuberculosis Officer was not appointed until July
and did not take up his duties till 13th October. From 1st January to
October, the work was carried on by Dr. Saxby Willis, who has so ably
acted in the past during the summer vacation. He was, however, unable
to devote all his time to the work and was appointed to attend at the
dispensary on certain days in the week. Much of the home visiting during
that period was not overtaken and the examination of contacts in consequence
fell somewhat in abeyance.
Westminster Tuberculosis Dispensary.
Annual Report of Tuberculosis Officer, 1925.
Dr. Ian S. Thomson, Tuberculosis Officer and Assistant Medical
Officer of Health, has made the following report:—
The number of new patients examined during the year was 395, as
compared with 421 in 1922, 529 in 1923, and 603 in 1924. This decrease
may be to a large extent ascribed to the fact that the total number of
cases notified in Westminster in 1925 was 65 less than in 1924. There
were thus not only fewer cases in Westminster, but also a resultant
decrease in the number of contact cases available. The examination of
contacts is a large and important part of the work of the Dispensary, and
frequently a whole family is examined subsequent to the notification of
one member.
The following table shows the sources from which new cases were
recommended, and a comparison with the numbers of similar cases in
1924