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55
Prevention of Tuberculosis.—In connection with preventive work in respect
of tuberculosis, the Dispensary, which has now been part of the Borough tuberculosis
scheme since April, 1921, continued to prove most valuable, the members of the
staff rendering excellent service.
Particulars with regard to patients dealt with during the year are shown in a
table at page 57, while the following short table summarizes the information as to
visits paid by members of the staff:—
No. of visits by Tuberculosis Officer New, 95 Old, 236
No. of cases at Dispensary New, 396 Old, 1,629
No. of attendances at Dispensary 3,155
No. of visits by Miss Baker First visit, 206 Re-visits, 1,259
No. of visits by Miss Bartleet First visit, 225 Re-visits, 768
No. of Committee Meetings attended 24
The Tuberculosis Care Committee continued to meet fortnightly throughout
the year, Dr. Saner, Miss Baker and Sister Bartleet attending and assisting in every
way possible.
The Open Air School in Regent's Park, which was established in 1911,
continued its useful work during the year. The number of children on the roll
was 25—12 boys and 13 girls—and the attendances numbered 9,503. Dr. Saner,
who has been Medical Officer of the School since he took office at the Dispensary,
continued to act in this capacity.
The following short note by the Tuberculosis Officer (Dr. Saner) contains
reference to a number of points that may be of interest.
"The difficulty of finding employment for the consumptive person still remains
acute. Employers are loath to take a man on, first, on account of infection, and
secondly, because he is not a 100 per cent. unit. As regards infection, there is no
necessity for any consumptive to be infectious to his fellow workers if he takes an
ordinary amount of care. If he has been to a sanatorium he has received full
instructions as to how to avoid being a danger to others, and if, thereafter, he carries
out what he has learnt, chance of infection is reduced to a minimum. This refers
to the patient who has a cough with expectoration. The man who returns from
sanatorium with his complaint practically arrested or in a quiescent state experiences
the same difficulty of obtaining work, when it is known he has been under treatment
for consumption, although for the time being he is capable of doing a full day's work.
The man-who coughs and expectorates is provided with a sputum flask in
which to spit; this, unfortunately, is enough to damn him in the eyes of his
neighbour, and people in the street give him a wide berth. These same people,
however, have no such terror of the man who spits on the pavement, in tram, bus
or train, and is the real source of danger to the community—they tolerate him, but