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368
THE FOLLOWING IS THE STATEMENT OF THE
TUBERCULOSIS MEDICAL OFFICER FOR THE YEAR 1920.
January 31st, 1921.
To the Committee of Management,
Metropolitan Hospital Tuberculosis Dispensary.
Gentlemen,
I beg to present the Report for the year 1920, the sixth since
the Dispensary opened.
During the year greater facilities have been afforded for the
treatment of tuberculosis persons, and the Dispensary, acting as a
clearing centre, has been placed in a better position than formerly
for allocating cases for appropriate Institutional treatment.
Male advanced cases are now accommodated at Colindale
Hospital, Hendon, which was opened during the year. Stormont
House Open-Air School, at Hackney Downs, opened in September,
1919, has now its full complement of seventy-five children. The
beneficial results observed in those children attending the School
from this Dispensary are very gratifying. There is still scope for
further measures in Open-Air School treatment, especially for
pre-tubercular children.
The lack of proper housing accommodation has formed a great
drawback in the Domiciliary treatment of many cases, as under
present conditions over-crowding inevitably occurs.
With the consent and approval of the Medical Officers of Health
for Hackney and Stoke Newington, to whom I accord my grateful
thanks for their kind co-operation, the visiting Tuberculosis nurses
of the respective Boroughs now attend the Dispensary once a week,
and submit reports on the home conditions of the patients in the
Dispensary area; personally supply information as to their progress,
social environments and needs; and receive suggestions with regard
to "following-up" cases, arrangements for the attendance of contacts
for examination, etc. These weekly conferences are most