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The Health of Barking
One difficulty which affects us and which, no doubt, affects other parts of the
country also, is that within the Boroughs of Barking and Ilford, which together
make a sub-division to the Region to which we belong, that is the London North East
Metropolitan Region, there never has been, nor can there be for several years,
sufficient hospital accommodation to meet the requirements of the population.
This is particularly so with regard to the chronic sick and the surgical treatment
of tonsils and adenoids.
As Mary was to have her baby in the Barking Hospital before the Appointed
Day she was particularly interested to know what was going to happen under the
new Act, and I was able to tell her that so far as could be seen at present, maternity
work would be extended at this Hospital and that wards which during the War
were used for the retention of casualties, would be adapted to this end. Here it is
interesting to note that ten years ago, that is, before the War, these same wards
were being used for infectious disease cases.
I cannot leave the question of hospital facilities without saying something
about the hospitalisation of tuberculosis. I am fully persuaded that we shall never
get to real grips with the difficult problem of reducing the incidence of tuberculosis
until, amongst other things, we are in a position to extend very considerably the
number of beds that are available to Chest Physicians.
The possibility of some immunisation being discovered for tuberculosis,
comparable to diphtheria immunisation, is not so fanciful as it appeared a generation
ago, but I do think it is sufficiently remote for us to say that, at this stage, hospitalisation
and consequential isolation is the only way of dealing with the problem.
What is more, there are certain diseases, of which tuberculosis is one, which, even
in these enlightened days, are looked upon with much the same awe and dread as
leprosy was regarded in the Middle Ages. It isn't too much to say that the effect
on the minds of the patients of knowing that they are indeed suffering from tuberculosis
is, in many instances, devastating, and the peace of mind of the patient is a
very important factor in the treatment of the disease, and, therefore, hospital
accommodation must be provided for these people. Now I want to be quite frank
and open on this matter. Beds should have been provided pre-War whicl were
not provided, and which are now going to cost a lot of money to build, and there
are beds which are empty to-day because there are so many other opportunities
open to women which, compared with nursing, are more acceptable, botl from
the standpoint of remuneration and conditions of environment.
I have mentioned some of the problems which are being faced and which it
may be possible to solve within the framework of recent legislation. Not the least
of the problems, the solution upon which the whole future of the hospital ystem
depends, is the realisation of the relative parts to be played by the professional
people and by the lay officer. It is a curious thing that whilst no one would dream
of asking anyone other than a musician to conduct an orchestra, a large number of
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