London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Shoreditch 1933

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch]

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87
would be more rapid in country air and in better surroundings. I am strongly
of the opinion that the Tuberculosis wards of this and other general hospitals
should be kept for the treatment of emergencies and of advanced cases who
wish to remain near home and that other cases should be sent to institutions
specially equipped and staffed for the treatment of this disease.
The London County Council has appointed the Tuberculosis Officers of
the various Metropolitan Borough Councils to act as Tuberculosis consultants
in the General Hospitals and I have continued to pay fortnightly visits to
St. Leonard's during the year. This arrangement has proved of great service
in helping to secure the consent of patients to hospital treatment when this
is desirable.
The special facilities mentioned in last year's report remain unchanged,
with the addition of the Shoreditch Municipal Dental Hospital, reference to
which was inadvertently omitted in my last report. The number of cases
referred to the Dental Hospital for treatment is however small. In most
newly-notified cases of tuberculosis it is important to get the patient away
to sanatorium or other residential treatment as soon as possible and a welcome
feature of the past year's work has been the shortening of the waiting period
and the earlier offer of vacancies by the County Council. It is thus not always
practicable to secure the completion of dental treatment before the patient's
admission even if the patient is in a fit physical condition to stand it. Any
necessary dental treatment not carried out before admission is provided in
the institution to which the patient is sent.
Greater use has been made this year of X-ray examinations both for
diagnosis and for estimation of the activity of the disease at later stages. The
reports of Dr. Kerley, Radiologist to the Royal Chest Hospital, continue to
be of great value. I also wish to acknowledge once again the assistance given
in cases of laryngitis by Mr. Zamora, the Laryngologist to the same Hospital,
to whom such cases are referred for examination.

Further figures relating to the work of the Dispensary are given in the following tables:—

1933.1932.
Total attendances4,5143,861
Total examinations2,0061,729
Contacts examined292229
Sisters' visits3,1602,849
Tuberculosis Officer's visits152156

In addition to the above, twenty-four fortnightly visits were made by the
Tuberculosis Officer to St. Leonard's Hospital.