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Patients Admitted to the Hospital for Diagnosis.— The wards of the Hospital are open
for the reception of cases presenting difficulties of diagnosis which can only be overcome by
observation as In-patients. Five resident and 23 non-resident patients were admitted
for this purpose.
Examination of Sputum.—The following is a summary :—
City Residents. Non-Residents. Total.
Positive 3 23 26
Negative 33 152 185
Residential Treatment.—The number of patients for whom residential treatment was
arranged was 78. They are summarised as follows :—
Admitted to Poor Law Other St. Columbus Hosp.
L.C.C. Institutions. Institutions. Institutions. Corpn. Expense. Total.
Patients resident in the City 11 0 7 2 20
Patients non-resident 56 0 2 0 58
67 0 9 2 78
Persons neither resident nor working in the City are usually transferred immediately to their
own Tuberculosis Officer and subsequent arrangements are made by him. This system has
worked satisfactorily.
Persons Treated and Supervised at the Dispensary.—(A) Patients resident in the City.
All persons suffering from tuberculosis who are resident in the City may be supervised and
treated at the Dispensary. The total number of cases so treated was 87.
In addition a large number of contacts are kept under observation.
(B) Patients non-resident in the City.
(a) Who work in the City.
On diagnosis these patients are informed that they can be treated and advised at the
Dispensary or transferred to the Tuberculosis Officer of their own Borough. The majority
decide to remain patients at the Dispensary.
(b) Who do not work in the City.
On diagnosis these patients are usually transferred to the Tuberculosis Officer of their
own Borough. The total number of cases so transferred was 147.
Total Attendances . Insured. Non-Insured. Total.
Residents 255 254 509
Non-Residents 618 776 1,394
1,903
In view of the fact that cases in the last stages of the disease are extremely infectious,
especially in crowded houses, the Corporation have made arrangements to pay for the maintenance
of selected City cases at St. Columbia's Hospital, Swiss Cottage. Two such cases
were admitted in 1927.
Artificial Pneumo-thorax.-—Artificial pneumo-thorax treatment has been used to a larger
extent during the year. Artificial Pneumo-thorax was induced in 9 cases, and 182 Refills
done in connection with the Dispensary.
The Tuberculosis Nurse.—As an adjunct to the work at the Tuberculosis Clinic, the
outside work of the Tuberculosis Nurse has been continued on the same lines as former
years. Eighty-three homes have been visited and 591 visits made in connection with after
care and following up. In addition to the above, patients, some of whom were in an advanced
stage of the disease, have been nursed in their own homes. Two of these cases terminated
fatally. For nursing purposes 66 visits were paid.
General.—The following information is supplied in accordance with the requirements
of the Ministry of Health. The paragraph numbers correspond with those in Circular 648,
and where a number is omitted the subject matter does not concern City work :—
(i) The Tuberculosis Dispensary is at St. Bartholomew's Hospital; the Tuberculosis
Officer is Dr. F. H. Young, O.B.E. ; one Tuberculosis Nurse is engaged in the work. Treatment
in residential institutions is provided for insured and uninsured persons by the London
County Council.
(iii) Patients are referred to the Tuberculosis Dispensary from hospitals, school clinics
and other institutions, with all of which there is close co-operation.