View report page

28
The Chest Clinic and Home Visiting.
1,577 new cases were examined during the year. 190 were
found to be definitely tuberculous.
The total number of attendances for examination at the Chest
Clinic was 13,613. There were also 8,212 attendances by patients
for collapse therapy.
The Clinic doctors paid 104 home visits and the Tuberculosis
Visitors 4,008 visits for Clinic purposes. In addition the
Tuberculosis Visitors made 437 primary visits for the purposes
of the Notification Register. There were also 1,348 unsuccessful
visits made.
Patients requiring home nursing or surgical dressings are
attended to by the nurses from the Croydon Nursing Association,
by arrangement with that organisation. Their assistance is a
valuable adjunct in the care of domiciliary cases.
Contact Examination.
The examination and subsequent supervision of persons
coming into contact with patients suffering from tuberculosis plays
an important part in the prevention of the spread of infection.
During 1953, 668 persons were examined for the first time as
contacts of notified cases of tuberculosis, giving a contact-case
ratio of over 3 for each notified case during the year.
Of these contacts, 17 were found to be tuberculous. This is
equal to a tuberculosis rate per 1,000 contacts of 25, compared
with 1.21 per 1,000 of the general population. In addition, there
were 8 found to be tuberculous who had been under observation
from previous years.
The numbers of new contacts examined, together with the
numbers of New cases of Tuberculosis notified in previous years
are as follows:—
1952—'New contacts examined 661. New cases of tuberculosis 243.
1951—New contacts examined 562. New cases of tuberculosis 214.
1950—New contacts examined 561. New cases of tuberculosis 275.
B.C.G. Vaccination
The use of B.C.G. vaccination for contacts has been extended
during 1953 and regular sessions are held at the Clinic for this
purpose. 167 contacts were successfully vaccinated during the
year, compared with 89 in 1952. In addition, 14 nurses were
successfully vaccinated.