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Report on the Work carried out at the Tuberculosis Dispensary.
The following report on the work carried out by the Dispensary has been prepared
by Dr. G. A. Back, the Tuberculosis Officer: —
New Patients and Contacts.
There has been no significant change since last year either in the number of notifications
or in the number of new cases dealt with at the Dispensary.
The number of new contacts attending has increased from 259 to 307, a figure higher
than any recorded previously. The total number of contacts of the 391 cases notified during
the year was 548 and of these 47-6 per cent, had been examined at the Dispensary and 8*2 per
cent, elsewhere by the end of March, 1938.
Institutional Treatment.
This is provided by the London County Council in sanatoria, special hospitals and in
the tuberculosis wards of their general hospitals. Application for admission is made as a rule
on the appropriate form by the Tuberculosis Officer or the resident staff of the voluntary
hospitals, but in emergency patients may be admitted by application to the Medical Superintendent
of Highgate Hospital. Altogether 412 applications were accepted, showing an increase
of 13 over the previous year. Of these 214 were admissions to General Hospitals, 48 to
Brompton Hospital or St. George's Home for investigation of their subsequent treatment,
128 to sanatoria and 22 to various hospitals for observation for diagnosis.
The majority (156) of the admissions to the General Hospitals were admissions of
destitute patients or those suffering from advanced disease and the recommendations were
made by District Medical Officers, General Practitioners and Voluntary Hospitals; the
remainder (58) were made by the Dispensary. Of the admissions to sanatoria and special
hospitals 123 were recommended by the Dispensary and 75 from other sources.
Artificial Pneumothorax Treatment.
This work is carried out at various voluntary and London County Council hospitals
for patients who have been discharged from hospitals and sanatoria, at a cost to the Borough
Council of 10s. 6d. per refill. During the year an arrangement was made whereby refills
could be given by the Tuberculosis Officer when he visits Highgate Hospital, without charge
to the Borough Council.
The number of refills, which for the past three years had averaged 442, showed a
marked increase from 573 during 193b, to 800 during 1937. Of these, 323 were carried out
at Brompton Hospital, 151 at University College Hospital, 111 at other voluntary hospitals,
75 at Colindale Hospital, 29 at Grove Bark Hospital and 140 at Highgate Hospital, of which
135 were carried out by the Tuberculosis Officer.