London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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London County Council 1919

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

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(5) We call attention to the importance of the extension of the open-air principles to all institu.
tions and places where many individuals are housed together, such as barracks, orphanages, workhouses,
penitentiaries, and the like.
(6) Experience has shown us the importance of careful supervision of the tuberculosis patient
during the entire period of his illness. We therefore urge the need for close co.operation between the
several institutional factors (dispensaries, hospitals, sanatoria, etc.) and the more extended development
of skilled social service under medical direction.
(7) We think that attention should be drawn to the great risk to which tuberculous patients
are exposed through the exploitation of alleged cures without scientific authority.
(8) Inasmuch as a problem of particular difficulty is that of providing suitable occupations for
those patients with tuberculosis, able to perform a certain amount of work under favourable conditions,
we recommend the encouragement of efforts for the establishment of agricultural and other colonies
and the organisation of suitable industries which should be linked up with the dispensaries and sanatoria
under medical supervision.
(9) Recognising that accurate knowledge of the distribution of tuberculosis is an essential preliminary
to its control by public authorities in any community, we approve the principle of compulsory
notification of tuberculosis to the health authorities under appropriate regulations
(10) We call special attention to the capital importance of scientific research in the field of tuberculosis
and the collection of information as to all factors bearing upon the prevalence and distribution
of the disease.
The Committee was composed of the following members:—
Chairman
Great Britain
United States
France
Italy
Japan
Professor Calmette.
Sir Arthur Newsholme, Sir Robert Philip, Sir John Lumsden.
Dr: F. N. Kay Menzies.
Drs. Baldwin, Hermann Biggs, Farrand, Garvin, White and Linsly
Williams.
Professor Calmette, Professor Courmont, Dr. Bernard, Dr. Rist.
Colonel Baduel, Lt..Col. Castellani, Professor Maragliano, Dr.
Marchiafava, Dr. Poli.
Dr. Kabeshima, Dr. Nawa.
II.—Provision of Dispensaries
The initial provision of dispensaries was made as a voluntary effort by the Central Fund for the
promotion of the dispensary system for the prevention of consumption. They provided eleven voluntary
dispensaries prior to 1912. The Poplar Tuberculosis Dispensary formed by a voluntary local committee
in Poplar opened in April, 1912, and a voluntary dispensary was opened in St. Pancras in 1909.
Later in the same year a dispensary was provided at the Royal Chest Hospital, City Road, by
arrangement with the Shoreditch Borough Council.
These dispensaries were all ultimately included as part of the Borough Dispensary Schemes.
In 1913 six boroughs (Deptford, Greenwich, Hampstead, Lambeth, Southwark and Wandsworth)
provided municipal dispensaries ; one of these (Lambeth) in addition also providing a branch dispensary
at St. Thomas' Hospital.
The conditions of approval of dispensary schemes by the Council were laid down in resolutions
approved by the Council in November, 1913, and these were incorporated in the general tuberculosis
scheme of the Council which was approved on the 26th May, 1914 (Appendix IV.).
Grants in aid of the dispensary work of borough councils have been made by the Council as from
the 1st April, 1914 to the extent of 50 per cent, of the net expenditure by borough councils after deducting
the contributions received by them from the Exchequer and London Insurance Committee.

The number of approved dispensary schemes in each calendar year, and the number of separate dispensaries included is shown in the following statement.

Calendar year.No. of schemes.No. of separate Dispensaries.Calendar year.No. of schemes.No. of separate Dispensaries.
1914121319172730
1915181919182933
1916232719192933

There are also two branch dispensaries—one in St. Pancras and one in Wandsworth.
Dispensary vork considered for London as a whole.—London is served by 33 tuberculosis dispensaries
and two branch dispensaries staffed during 1919 by 41 tuberculosis officers, of whom 32 have
full time and nine part.time appointments.
Table I. shows the number of new cases of tuberculosis notified in the metropolitan boroughs
and the number of new cases which were dealt with by the dispensaries during the year 1918.* In
considering this table it should be remembered that a dispensary service was not available for Bethnal
Green until October, 1917, nor for Hammersmith until September, 1918.