View report page

136
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
It has been found that the cases requiring such aids to diagnosis
are few in number, but it is a great advantage to be able to send
difficult cases to the hospital for examination by methods not
available at the dispensary. As a rule the patient is admitted and
kept under close observation for a few days. A thorough examination
is made and a report sent to me by the Tuberculosis Officer
at the hospital.
Nine cases were dealt with under this arrangement and in
addition, a number of cases requiring surgical treatment not available
at the dispensaries were sent to St. Thomas's Hospital.
During the year 971 patients were examined, compared with
936 in 1913. The total attendances at the two dispensaries were
7,657, compared with 5,502 in 1913.
Of the new cases, 705 were examined in seven months ending
August 5th (declaration of War), 266 in the subsequent five months.
With regard to attendances, a similar falling off is shown.
though to a less degree. Of 7,657 total attendances, 5 203 were
registered in the first seven months, and 2,454 in the last five months
of the year.
Table LXXII. shows the total insured and non-insured cases
of each sex examined during the year, divided into tuberculous and
non-tuberculous. It also shows the total attendances made by
these cases and the average attendance per case.
379 tuberculous cases made 2,548 attendances, an average of
672 attendances per case, while in 1913, 343 cases made 4,152
attendances, an average of 12.1.
There were 226 insured cases, compared with 136 in 1913, and
153 non-insured cases, compared with 207.
The lower average attendance this year is mainly due to the
larger number of cases which were treated in institutions and by
medical practitioners (see Table LXXIX.), and by the increased
number of insured patients, many of whom were sent by the
Insurance Committee and only made one attendance,