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Residential Treatment.—An accession of 57 cases to the
Tuberculosis Register demands the ready availability of beds,
either at a Hospital, a Sanatorium or an institution for advanced
cases if any attempt is to be made to deal effectively with the
disease and more particularly the prevention of its spread.
Hospital Cases.-—The Council does not reserve beds at any
hospital for the treatment of the cases of acute Tuberculosis within
the Borough ; but no case requiring hospital treatment for this
reason is denied the benefit of such treatment. When such cases
arise, their admission is arranged to and adequate treatment is
provided by one of the recognised hospitals in London, usually
Victoria Park Hospital for Diseases of the Chest. Financial
responsibility is undertaken by the Council after a complete survey
of the patient's economic status. For their cordial co-operation
in this matter we would thank the authorities of the London
hospitals—particularly those of Victoria Park Hospital.
Sanatorium Cases.—The desideratum in dealing with early
sanatorium treatment is the immediacy of such treatment. Delay
in this matter spells disaster. The ready availability of beds
forms again the crux of the matter. In addition to the numbers
of new cases requiring sanatorium treatment for the first time,
the number of old patients who after an initial period of treatment
require further periods of sanatorium treatment—sometimes for the
second and even the third time—tends to overburden the present
accommodation for chest cases, particularly women cases at
" Harts." It certainly urges the consideration of an increased
accommodation for these cases if the desideratum in treatment is
to be achieved.
Advanced Cases.—The only institution available for the
accommodation of these cases is Whipps Cross Hospital. Admission
there is voluntary, but by recent enactments, the
power of compulsory removal of tuberculosis patients to an institution
is vested in a court of summary jurisdiction, at the
instance of the local authority. During the year no action has
been taken by the authority in this matter, due regard being
paid to the circumstances of each case, but in cases of flagrant
disregard of medical advice, constituting a definite menace to
the health of other persons, this power of removal will be implemented
forthwith.