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83
Shakespeare wrote:—
"Between the acting of a dreadful thing
And the first motion, all the interim is
Like a phantasma, or a hideous dream."
Shakespeare was quite right, and we find in cases of tuberculosis
that, however much we sympathise, we cannot enter into
the awful confusion and mental rebellion that agitate a patient.
I want to emphasize the point that, often unconsciously, many
people when once they realise they are suffering from tuberculosis
are in open rebellion, and this is one of the worst things which
could possibly happen to them.
There is only one thing which we can do to deal with these
people, and that is to cut the period of waiting for admission to
sanatorium as short as possible. It should never be more than a
matter of a few days, because this period of mental disturbance is
a very trying one and mental disturbance has but a line that divides
it from mental instability.
When once a fiat has gone forth that a patient must enter
sanatorium, the patient should be admitted forthwith.
From time to time I have stressed the importance of after care
in respect of patients returning from sanatorium and have pointed
out how frequently the beneficial effect of the stay is nullified by
the home conditions to which they return.
The "after care" of tuberculosis patients is linked up inevitably
with prevention and sanatorium treatment, and it would therefore
appear that the provision of suitable housing accommodation
for the patients would be a logical development of any Tuberculosis
Service.
Several Local Authorities have recognised the importance of
this and have in their housing developments allocated a small
quota of dwellings for this purpose.