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54
TUBERCULOSIS.
This part of the report deals with the work of the Department
under the Public Health (Tuberculosis) Regulations,
1912, and under the Dispensary scheme approved by the
Ministry of Health and the London County Council who
contribute 50 per cent, and 25 per cent, respectively of the
nett expenditure of that scheme.
Staff. The staff of the Dispensary is set out in detail in
Section VIII. No change has taken place during the year.
Notifications. The total number of notifications received
was 392, but 50 of these related to cases which had been
previously notified, so that the total number of new notifications
was 342. In 1923 the corresponding number was 311.
Twenty-seven cases of Tuberculosis died before notification,
an increase of ten compared with 1923. The notifications
received on forms C. and D., i.e., notifications from institutions
regarding admission and discharge, are not included in the
above figures. In Table No. 43 are shown the detailed figures
relating to all notifications received during the year.
In Circular 549, issued by the Ministry of Health towards
the end of the year, particular attention is directed to securing
a greater measure of uniformity in the procedure of notification,
and a stricter compliance with the requirements of the
Tuberculosis Regulations in each district. It appears that
there has been a good deal of variation in practice in the various
districts throughout the country. In some districts notifications
have been accepted after the patient was dead—a
procedure which is obviously wrong when it is remembered
that the medical practitioner is required to certify that the
person is suffering from the disease. In other districts the
first notification received and accepted has been on institutional
admission or discharge notification forms, and, in others,