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42
There is set out below a copy of the Board's circular letter of the 19th
December, to the Borough Councils :—
Treatment of Tuberculosis in London.
Local Government Board,
Whitehall, S.W.,
19th December, 1913.
Sir,
I am directed by the Local Government Beard to advert to the letter which they
addressed to the London County Council on the 24th of September last, a copy of which
was forwarded to the Metropolitan Borough Council, in regard to the arrangements to be
made for the institutional treatment of tuberculosis in London.
Having regard to the recent decisions of the London County Council, the Board
think it desirable to set out in further detail, for the information of the Borough Council,
their general views as to the lines upon which the arrangements for providing dispensaries
for the treatment of tuberculosis in London should be further developed. As intimated
in their letter to the London County Council, the Board, acting on the suggestion made
by the Departmental Committee on Tuberculosis in their Interim Report, have invited
Metropolitan Borough Councils to provide or arrange for the provision of these
institutions, and have at the same time urged the view that all possible use should be
made of existing institutions, and that hospitals and other voluntary institutions which
are to be recognised as forming part of the tuberculosis scheme for London should
undertake to work in close co-operation with the local authority.
The provision of an efficient dispensary organisation for London is facilitated by the
decisons arrived at by representatives of 12 general hospitals at a meeting in London
which was held on the 23rd October last.
At this meeting it was resolved :—
(1) That it is important in the interests of the public and of medical education
that the general hospitals with medical schools should be utilised to the
fullest extent in the treatment of tuberculosis in the London area.
(2) That any local institution carrying out dispensary treatment shall refer special
cases for consultative purposes to appointed hospitals; and that amongst
the appointed hospitals for consultative purposes be the 12 general
hospitals with medical schools, viz.:—
St. Bartholomew's Hospital.
London Hospital.
Guy's Hospital.
St. Thomas's Hospital.
University College Hospital.
Charing Cross Hospital.
St. George's Hospital.
Westminster Hospital.
King's College Hospital.
St. Mary's Hospital.
Middlesex Hospital.
Royal Free Hospital.
(3) That in addition to being recognised as consultative hospitals, such institutions
should, where they desire, also act as tuberculosis dispensaries, and in respect
of such work should conform to the general conditions regulating dispensary
treatment elsewhere.
1. Dispensary Schemes.
The Board consider that, in developing schemes for the provision of dispensaries in
London, the following general principles should be observed : —
(1) One or more dispensaries should be available for each Metropolitan Borough, or
combination of Boroughs, to which any person residing in the area for which the dispensary
is provided and who is suffering from, or suspected to be suffering from, tuberculosis,
may have access for diagnosis and treatment.