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16
The Tuberculosis Care Committee, which undertakes all the care and aftercare
work of the tuberculous in the Borough, continued to meet regularly and to
provide valuable assistance. This Committee helps by the provision of clothing and
pocket money for necessitous patients entering institutions ; by the purchase
of surgical apparatus and nursing requisites ; by supplementing financial assistance
given by voluntary organisations ; by paying training fees in suitable cases ;
and in many other ways. It supervises the Council's schemes for the provision
of extra nourishment and of dentures. In all, during the year it dealt with 341
applications.
Laboratory Facilities. The bacteriological work of the Council, rendered
necessary in connection with investigations into infectious diseases, food poisoning,
etc., is carried out at the Woolwich War Memorial Hospital. In addition to the
examinations of sputum made for the tuberculosis service, 492 throat and nasal
swabs, 39 specimens of faeces and 11 specimens of food were examined. Samples
of water from the public swimming baths were regularly examined and in general
the results were satisfactory.
Disinfection and Disinfestation. The Council's disinfecting station is
situated at White Hart Road, Plumstead, but a number of articles of personal
clothing are also disinfected at the two cleansing stations. In all, a total of 68,534
articles were disinfected at these three stations. The number of rooms disinfected
after cases of infectious disease was 329, of which 56 had been occupied by
tuberculous persons. The number of rooms disinfested of vermin was 683.
Personal cleansing was continued at the temporary cleansing station at the
Turkish Baths, Plumstead, and at the cleansing section of the Eltham Hill Health
Centre. The number of cases of Scabies notified (440) was higher than the
number notified in 1944 (390) but the actual number of persons treated decreased
slightly from 2,540 to 2,360. There was also a slight decrease in the number of
persons treated for verminous conditions. The following table gives details of the
number of persons treated, including Scabies contacts, and the number of treatments
given at the two cleansing stations.

Regular Scabies clinic sessions were held, and attended by the Council's
consultant, who continued to supervise the scheme,