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Patients with history constituting post-menopausal bleedings: 4
No. investigated by diagnostic curettage : 2
(No abnormal findings)
No. willing for investigation not yet carried out: 2
Patients complaining of vaginal discharge: 19
Abnormal findings on examination :
Cervical erosion: 4
Cervical polyp: 1
No lesion: 14
Patients complaining of pruritus valvae : 6
Abnormal findings on examination :
Cervical erosion: 1
Cervical polyp: 1
Leukoplakia: 1
Diabetes mellitus: 1
Benign lesions found on routine examination, with no symptoms :
Probable fibromyomata, usually small: 11
Cervical erosion: 11
Cervical Polyp: 9
Atrophic vaginitis: 4
Trichomonas vaginalis vaginitis : 2
Total benign Cervical Lesions : Erosion : 15. Polypi: 10."
The information and statistics given seem to indicate that whereas the original concept
underlying the establishment of this Diagnostic Clinic was that it would be primarily an affair of
laboratory diagnosis, the work in practice is turning out to be more like what the Americans call
a "well person" clinic. Thus in the 221 cases examined so far only 1, which is under investigation,
may indicate a very early case of a pre-cancerous condition. A number of other potential
causes of ill health or a "feeling below par" have been discovered as a result of a fairly complete
local physical examination undertaken by the doctors at Bart's Hospital, in addition to the
purely mechanical taking of material for laboratory examination.
The conditions shown in the report have been the subject of correspondence with the family
doctors concerned, instigating action for remedy, with rapid improvement of health in the very
earliest stages of deviation from normal health.
In the early weeks of operation of the Clinic only the personnel of two or three large business
organisations were offered facilities for examination so as to obviate the possibility of
long waiting lists.
In May, however, a meeting of City Doctors was held at Guildhall to hear M*. John Beattie,
the Head of the Gynaecology Department of St. Bartholomew's Hospital give an explanation of
the purposes of the clinic and to report on the progress made. This was followed by an interesting
discussion and it was subsequently decided that the facilities of the diagnostic clinic should
be made freely available (within the capacity of the clinic) to all City workers. Appropriate
notices were published in the Press and a leaflet of which the following is a copy was sent to
all City Doctors, who in turn, made the information available to City workers generally.
CITY OF LONDON DIAGNOSTIC CLINIC
ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S HOSPITAL
The purpose of this notice is to draw your attention to the existence in the City
of a Diagnostic Clinic in case you did not read about it in the press. The Clinic is
for the benefit of women who live or work in the City and who are over the age of 35.
By a simple and well-tried test, which only takes a short time, it is possible to
advise you that you do not have any of the cancers peculiar to the womb. Your
attendance for this examination will be treated as personal and absolutely confidential
and the nature of the test will be explained to you before it is done. The examination
is harmless but necessarily intimate ; should you feel at all reluctant to proceed
with it you need not feel under any obligation to do so, nor will the slightest
presswe be exerted on you by the hospital staff.
The Clinic has been set up under the auspices of the City Corporation. If you
are over the age of 35 and would like to make use of this facility, you can make an
appointment to have the test at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, E.C.I, by telephoning
MONarch 7777. You should ask for the Appointments Bureau and say you wish to
have a test in the Womens' Outpatient Department. You will then be given a time at
which you should attend the Hospital.
It is not necessary for you to have a doctor's letter of introduction but your own
doctor will be informed if you so wish. Your attendance at the Hospital should not
take more than half an hour.
It will be seen from the report quoted that at the end of September appointments had been
booked until the end of November and it is confidently hoped that the Clinic's initial success
will be maintained.
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