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26
3.- WORK OF TUBERCULOSIS DISPENSARY.
The Tuberculosis Dispensary occupies the ground and first
floors of 13, Katharine Street, and consists of an office, two waiting
rooms, a consulting room, a dark room, and the medical officer's
room. The dispensary has been open for the examination of
patients on 8 sessions in each week (5 morning, 2 afternoon, 1 evening).
Early in 1924, 2 additional afternoon sessions were commenced
for the examination of contacts, as detailed in (c) below.
(a) New Patients.
706 new patients were seen during the year, as compared with
702 in 1922 and 712 in 1921.
Of the 706 new cases, 194 were referred by local doctors for
diagnosis or advice, 26 by hospitals, 83 by school medical staff or
by the medical officers of Infant Centres, 13 attended independently,
12 were transfers from other areas, 339 were seen as
" contacts," 33 were pensioners, and 6 miscellaneous cases.
Of these 706 patients, 216 were diagnosed as tuberculous, 378
were kept under observation to settle the diagnosis, and 112 were
found not to be tuberculous.
(b) Continued Supervision of Patients.
Old cases were kept systematically under observation and
supervision during the year. The total number of attendances
made at the dispensary was 6,789, as compared with 6,454 in 1922
and 7,576 in 1921.
(c) Contact Cases.

Early diagnosis is the secret of success in dealing with tuberculosis;
not only is the patient at a curable stage of the disease, but