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38
In 162 cases no contacts were examined or no record kept.
At the St. George's Dispensary:—
All the contacts were examined in
None of tho contacts were examined in
Three-fourths of the contacts were examined in
Two-thirds of the contacts were examined in
One-half of the contacts were examined in
One-third of the contacts were examined in
One-fourth of the contacts were examined in
Refused to be examined
109 instances.
41 instances.
29 instances.
10 instances.
14 instances.
6 instances.
3 instances.
6
In 65 instances either no contacts were examined or no records kept.
As a result of the examination of contacts in the Whitechapel and St. George's
Dispensaries one Consumptive was discovered in 193 families, two in 48 families
three in 13 families, and 4 in 1 family; besides 154 cases which were looked upon as
being in a suspicious condition.
It is thus seen that the examination of contacts is an important part of the
administrative control of Tuberculosis.
Many patients are discovered in the curable or merely suspicious stage who
might otherwise progress to the incurable stage before a diagnosis of Pulmonary
Tuberculosis is established, or even before the patient realised that anything serious
is the matter. It is only by a systematic examination of all contacts that we can
hope to make a successful fight against the malady. We must not wait until the
infected members of the family present themselves for treatment. It is then often
too late.
In the course of an examination of the contacts advanced cases are occasionally
discovered which had probably been the original source of infection, but advice had
never been sought, with the result that ignorance caused the onset of the disease in
other members of the family.
It is admitted that an attempt is made to examine the contacts of patients
attending the Tuberculosis Dispensaries, although in my opinion the results are not
satisfactory. As I have already pointed out, over 70 per cent, of the Consumptives
are not treated at these dispensaries, and no attempt is made to examine the
contacts of these patients. I have no intention of casting any reflection on the
work of the dispensaries in this particular, but I am anxious to emphasise that fact.
No scheme can be considered a satistactory one unless a large proportion of the
whole of the contacts throughout the Borough are examined.