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The average time taken to reach street accidents in 1952 was 7.2 minutes.
PREVENTION OF ILLNESS: CARE AND AFTER-CARE
Tuberculosis
the council's services for the purpose of preventing tuberculosis and of the care
and after-care of persons suffering from tuberculosis are provided or continued to the
extent directed by the Minister of Health in Circular 118/47. A subsequent development
has been the scheme for the B.C.G. vaccination of susceptible contacts of known cases
of tuberculosis which, with the Minister's approval, was started in September, 1950.
Before the National Health Service came into operation, most of these services formed
part of the Council's comprehensive scheme for the treatment of tuberculosis although
some were performed by the metropolitan borough councils with grant-aid from the
Council and the Ministry.
The difficulties inherent in a service for the care and treatment of the tuberculous
divided between local health authorities and regional hospital boards have called for
close integration and liaison on matters where responsibilities meet and overlap. The
progress made in London owes much to the regular meetings between the medical
officer of health and the senior administrative medical officers of the Metropolitan
Regional Hospital Boards. The medical officer of health also holds regular meetings
with the London chest physicians. Many of the services mentioned below involve cooperation
with general practitioners. Contact is also maintained with local and central
representatives of the Ministry of Labour and National Service and of the National
Assistance Board.
Chest
clinics
There are 31 separate clinics in London and six of these are in 'teaching' hospitals.
They vary in size from a register of 67 tuberculous at St. Bartholomew's Hospital to
one of 2,745 at Lewisham Clinic. There were 35,388 patients on the registers at the end of
1952, of whom 32,008 were suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis. The medical staff,
the radiographer and the physician's clerks at chest clinics are provided by the Metropolitan
Regional Hospital Boards or Boards of Governors of teaching hospitals, which
also maintain the premises and equipment. The Council reimburses the Metropolitan
Regional Hospital Boards three-elevenths of the salaries of the chest physicians for the
local health authority aspects of their work. It rents from the hospital management
committees the clinic accommodation used by its own staff, which include tuberculosis