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Discharged soldiers. Civilian adults. Totals.
Voluntary institutions 104 (154) 421 (560) 525 (714)
Metropolitan Asylums Board institutions 55 (83) 1,261 (871) 1,316 (954)
Total 159 (237) 1,682 (1,431) 1,841 (1,668)
The immediate results of the treatment of patients discharged on completion
of courses of treatment during 1926 are indicated below. For the purpose of this
table patients of 15 years of age are regarded as adults, owing to the "age" division
of patients required for the purposes of the Ministry of Health, although treatment
for them was arranged in institutions for children.
Classification.
Immediate results of Surgical. Totals.
treatment. A. B1. B2. B3.
Quiescent 135 42 29 - 81 i287
Much improved 349 215 1,093 29 265 1,951
No material improvement 102 38 1,473 422 56 2,091
Died in institutions 4 2 50 395 11 462
Totals 590 297 2.645 846 413 4.791
A"are cases in which tubercle bacilli have not been demonstrated in the sputum, B1 are early cases,
B2 are moderately advanced cases and B3 are advanced cases.
With regard to children, the number recommended for treatment under the
Council's Tuberculosis Scheme during each of the last five years was 972 in 1922,
865 in 1923, 1,019 in 1924, 1,025 in 1925, 1,163 in 1926. The increase from 1924
onwards may be attributable partly to the fact that cases formerly sent to Metropolitan
Asylums Board institutions through the Poor Law Guardians are now referred
to the Council, partly to the increased facilities for prompt treatment now available
under the Council's Tuberculosis Scheme and partly to the additional cases dealt
with directly by the Council owing to the termination of the agreement with the
Invalid Children's Aid Association for the "Convalescent" treatment of tuberculous
children. There is now no waiting list, either for 'pulmonary or surgical cases in
children.
In dealing with surgical cases it was found that there was great need for
expediting the admission to residential institutions of children suffering from acute
conditions, e.g., from tuberculosis of the hip, spine and other joints. By arrangement
with the Metropolitan Asylums Board it is now possible for the Council to secure
the admission of these cases immediately to Queen Mary's Hospital, Carshalton,
or Princess Mary's Hospital, Margate, and the authorities of certain voluntary
institutions, for example, Lord Mayor Treloar's Hospital for Cripples, Alton, and
Heatherwood Hospital, Ascot, are also co-operating with the Council in bringing
these cases under prompt treatment. The attention of the staffs of the Metropolitan
hospitals has been drawn to these facilities and they have been invited to report
to the Medical Officer of the Council by telephone on such cases coming under their
notice. Arrangements have been made for the immediate admission direct from
the hospitals to one of the institutions mentioned of all cases so reported. In fact
it may be stated that practically all serious cases of surgical tuberculosis in children
are now dealt with under these special arrangements.
Of the 1,163 children {i.e., patients under 16 yearsof age) referred to the Council
in 1926, 1,137 were accepted for treatment, 26 were not accepted or were withdrawn;
55 of the accepted cases for various reasons failed to enter institutions after acceptance.
There were 182 children under treatment in voluntary institutions and 610
in Metropolitan Asylums Board institutions on 1st January, 1926 (total 792) and
1,082 children were admitted during the year, making in 1926 the total number of