View report page

57
Arrangements were also made through the Invalid Children's Aid Association
for assisting in providing children with surgical appliances after discharge from
institutional treatment; such assistance was given in 32 instances. The Council's
contribution is borne from the balance of a fund known as the " Tuberculosis
Contributions Fund " into which contributions made by parents towards the cost of
their children's residential treatment under the Council's tuberculosis scheme
were paid prior to 1st April, 1925. Payments into this separate account are no longeT
made as, since 1st April, 1925, the contributions towards the cost of residential
treatment of patients have been paid into the County Fund until August, 1934,
on the basis of assessment on parents according to means and, since that date, only
on a purely voluntary basis. The balance of the Tuberculosis Contributions Fund
is, however, being applied as indicated above.
In addition to the arrangements for residential treatment of tuberculous
children, the Council has established six open-air day schools with accommodation
for 515 children (allowing for a nominal roll of 602) suffering from pulmonary
tuberculosis or from tuberculous glands with no open wounds, who do not require
treatment in residential institutions and children suspected to be suffering from
tuberculosis or living in conditions rendering them particularly liable to the disease.
The work of these schools is dealt with in the school medical officer's report (Vol. Ill,
Part II, p. 52).
In each metropolitan borough there is a tuberculosis care committee, or some
other provision for social service, in connection with the care of tuberculous patients
and their families, working in association with the dispensaries. This work has been
carried on with increasing activity owing to the greater scope afforded by the increase
of voluntary funds. Nearly all care committees have participated in the Christmas
Seal sales inaugurated by the National Association for the Prevention of Tuberculosis
and have thus substantially increased their incomes. Moreover, since the
Council abolished the assessments for residential treatment more time has been
available to care committees for purely " care " work.
In 1937 one new handicraft class was formed to serve two boroughs, and there
are now 14 handicraft classes serving 16 boroughs. There are also two glovemaking
classes conducted by the Central Fund for the Industrial Welfare of
Tuberculous Persons, and two cookery classes. One borough has also started a
weekly dressmaking class and a class on current literature, both of which are proving
popular. One other borough tuberculosis care committee, which abandoned its
handicraft class some years ago as being unsuited to the type of district it served,
started in its place a sewing class, which is successful and well attended. The
object of the cookery classes and the dressmaking classes is to raise the economic
standard and self-reliance of households impoverished by tuberculosis. The type of
work done in the dressmaking and sewing classes is the repairing of clothes, the making
of underclothing and pyjamas for patients' needs while undergoing residential
treatment, the altering of all kinds of garments, e.g., remaking discarded adult
clothing into clothes for children. The experiment appears to be proving successful
and affords occupation and instruction of definite economic value to many women
whose physical condition prevents them from entering the ordinary labour market.
The cookery classes are open to contacts as well as to ex-patients. It is hoped
thereby to raise the standard of nourishment in households where there is a
tuberculous patient.
The Central Fund for the Industrial Welfare of Tuberculous Persons conducts
workshops in which are carried out the manufacture of wooden toys and leather
goods and the preparation of firewood. The woodwork and toy factory employs
between 30 and 40 men, and the leather workshop between 15 and 20. The
employees are all tuberculous patients. The goods produced by the workers are sold
in the best markets available, but the income from the sale of goods is insufficient
to enable the Central Fund to work without a loss. To assist the Central Fund
Committee in its valuable work the Council has made a grant of £500 for each of
the past three years.
Supply of
surgical
appliances
Open-air
schools
Tuberculosis
care
committee
work
Handicraft
classes
Workshops
for the
tuberculous