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25
A Conference of Metropolitan Borough Councils was held at our offices on
the 19th July, 1912, and adopted resolutions in favour of the provision of
Sanatoria and Hospital accommodation by the Metropolitan Asylums Board and
that Tuberculosis Dispensaries should be established and controlled by the
Metropolitan Borough Councils either singly or in groups.
Tuberculosis Dispensary.
The provision of a Tuberculosis Dispensary in or for the Borough has received
very much consideration and I presented 2 reports to the Public Health Committee
and the Holborn Provisional Insurance Committee on the subject. As there is a
Local Insurance Committee for each Borough, the administration would be much
simplified if there was also a Tuberculosis Dispensary for each Borough. The
Bloomsbury Dispensary at which a number of consumptives already received
treatment, I thought would be much increased in usefulness and importance by
the addition of a Consulting Tuberculosis Officer. I was of opinion therefore
that the most convenient, practical and economical arrangement would be for the
Holborn Council to make arrangements, if possible, with the managers of the
Bloomsbury Dispensary for the use of that dispensary as a tuberculosis dispensary
on 2 or 3 days a week at hours when it is not required as a general dispensary;
and that a part time Consulting Officer (Chief Tuberculosis Officer) should be
appointed, such officer not to be engaged in private practice, but allowed other
work at a similar tuberculosis dispensary, or at a hospital for consumption, or as a
consultant. The Departmental Committee recommended that in connection with
a Tuberculosis Dispensary there should be well trained nurses, a whole or part
time dispenser, and facilities for bacteriological examination. All these are
already provided by or working in combination with the Bloomsbury Dispensary.
A large number of patients, including cases of consumption, are attended by
nurses of the Bloomsbury District Nurses Association, and the Lady Superintendent
informed me that she was very desirous of increasing their work in connection
with consumption.
Soon after the issue of this report a letter was received from the Town Clerk
of the City of London suggesting that the Council should co-operate with the
Corporation of London and the Finsbury Borough Council in the establishment
of a dispensary by arrangement with St. Bartholomew's Hospital.
We also received suggestions from other authorities that we should co-operate
with them, viz., the Royal Hospital for Diseases of the Chest, City Road; the
Middlesex Hospital; the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street; the
Provisional Medical Committee for the Westminster and Holborn Division; and
in that connection also from the Medical Officer of Health of the City of
Westminster.
D