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68
An institution in the Borough of Hackney devoted
to the education and medical supervision of tuberculous
children, for admission to which cases from this Dispensary
are eligible, is the L.C.C. Open-air School at
Stormont House, on Hackney Downs. This school has
in the past shown, and continues to show, extremely
good results, and its services are invaluable both from
the point of view of treatment and education.
(b) Domiciliary Treatment.—This is treatment given to
patients living at home, whether they are confined to
bed or not. The majority of these people are treated
by their insurance practitioners, some by private doctors,
and others by the District Medical Officers in the various
areas administered by the Public Assistance Committee.
A comparatively small number, comprising mainly those
who cannot afford private treatment and who are not
too ill to come out, attend at the Dispensary for Treatment.
This arrangement was initiated by the Ministry
of Health, with the idea that large numbers of patients
attending as a routine " for a bottle of medicine " would
prevent the Tuberculosis Officer from giving sufficient
attention to the examination of new cases and others
presenting special difficulties, and in practice it has
distinct advantages.
(c) Special Forms of Treatment.—The type of treatment
almost exclusively implied in the term " special " is
artificial pneumothorax, which aims at resting the
diseased lung by the injection of air into the space
between it and the chest wall. It has to be carried out
with strict antiseptic precautions, and there are no
facilities for it in this Dispensary. Throughout London
the Tuberculosis Officers refer such cases to one of the
chest hospitals, e.g., Victoria Park or Brompton, financial
responsibility being undertaken by the Borough Councils.
Any other forms of treatment, e.g., for lupus or
analagous conditions, are arranged for in a similar manner,
usually in the skin clinic of a general hospital.