View report page

Ministry of National Insurance, the Housing Departments of Local Authorities,
Councils of Social Service, the Chest & Heart Association, Regimental Benevolent
Associations, etc.
In the medical sphere there is close liaison with Edgware General, Colindale &
West Hendon Hospitals of whose staffs our physicians are members. A number of
patients are also referred to Clare Hall, Harefield, Pinewood and St. Charles
Hospitals for treatment of tuberculosis, for thoracic surgery and for treatment in
Bronchitis Units. Patients for radiotherapy are referred to the Middlesex Hospital
and to Mount Vernon Hospital.
Source of Patients
Most of our patients are referred by their general practitioners. Considerable
use is made of the facilities for X-ray of the chest without previous appointment.
For about eight years most of this work was dor.e using an Odelca 70mm miniature film
camera unit, but this has been discontinued as the unit has worn out and large X-ray
films are now employed.
Patients are also referred from the various divisions of the Out-patient Department
of Edgware General Hospital, from other chest clinics on change of their home
address, and by both the static and mobile Mass X-ray Units.
Tuberculosis
The primary function of the Chest Clinic is to deal with the tuberculosis problem
in the area. This has changed considerably in the last ten years as can be seen from
the tables of General Statistics and the Tuberculosis Register. These include for
comparison the figures for 1948, the year in which the National Health Service
commenced, and 1950, which is ten years ago. The number of new cases is much less
than it was. Deaths have also declined but not so markedly. This is partly because
deaths occur in tuberculous persons as in the population in general and not all the
deaths are actually due to the disease of tuberculosis. Patients live longer because
of modern treatment by drugs which is more satisfactory than the old treatments using
collapse of the lung. the attendance for refills is but a fraction of its former
numbers. On the debit side it is to be noted that new cases are still being discovered
at the rate of 134 per annum and there is still need to maintain an active
anti-tuberculosis programme. In future years the B.C. G. vaccination scheme operated
by the School Health Service will probably help to decrease the incidence of new
cases particularly in the younger age groups.
The necessity for routine ante-natal X-ray of the chest is illustrated by the
numbers who are still found to be suffering from active tuberculosis during pregnancy.
By treatment in good time the disease can be brought under control and the mother
made non-infectious before the birth of the baby: the separation of mother and child,
which in years gone by was necessary, is now very seldom advised.
36