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competence of the patient to perform, advice and assistance in
crises which occur with such frequency among the tuberculous,
whether domestic, financial, or more purely medical, and means
to alleviate the long hours of enforced leisure which can be such
a trial to those who find that they are not able to resume their
place in industry as wage earners. The Committee has practically
no funds a't its disposal, but is able to help by acting as a
connecting link between those in need and the agencies which can
meet that need. Much of this devolves upon Miss K. H. Russell,
who that made herself intimately acquainted with the workings
of various societies such as the Charity Organisation Society, the
Invalid Children's Aid Association, the Soldiers' and Sailors'
Families Association, the United Services Fund and British
Legion, and has become personally known to the local officers
of these bodies and is able to discuss with them the practical
manner in which they may be able to help. The Handicrafts
Class and the Library have been maintained throughout the year,
and they offer to those who are unemployed a variety in their
monotonous existence that is greatly appreciated.
Two specific examples of social needs may be quoted, the
provision of extra nourishment, and arrangements for securing
improved housing accommodation. In neither of these is it yet
possible to do as much as one would wish, but it affords some
comfort to reflect on the progress that has been made in the last
few years. The Borough, under the aegis of the Ministry of Health,
is permitted to grant additional food to persons who are about
to enter sanatorium, or who on their return are likely to be able
to work at a suitable occupation provided they are not in receipt
of Public Assistance, and at the same time are not able to secure
the diet required over and above the subsistence limit. Such
a grant from the Borough is more in the nature of medical
treatment than of relief. Other people, who are not eligible, are
entitled to aid from the Public Assistance Committee, but only
if they come within the category of necessitous persons. I have
received great help from the Relieving Officers in dealing with
cases in which poverty is urgent, and have had many discussions
with them, both personally and over the telephone, as to the
best method in which assistance can be rendered. It has been a
pleasant experience to discover the interest which these officials
take in individual patients, and the very helpful suggestions
which their local knowledge enables them to make.
As it is now possible for grants to be made to increase the
standard of living of contacts of infectious cases, and also to
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