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to be met. The Clinic is dealing with vaster numbers than
originally planned. We may look forward under the forthcoming
regime to augmented facilities.
One positive achievement, of which the Borough of East Ham
may well feel proud, is that it was the first Borough to designate
the "T.B. dispensary," a term that is now falling into disrepute,
by the more comprehensive term "Chest Clinic." Their example
is being followed extensively in all parts of the country. May we
not also take pride in having been informed recently by a senior
physician at the Brompton Hospital that our Out-Patient routine
compared favourably with any Out-Patient clinic at the premier
chest hospital in the country? This surely embodies the principles
formulated by the future National Health Service in its scheme
for upgrading and regionalisation. One feature, however, which
causes us no little anxiety is the possible complications that may
arise from the division of responsibility between the preventive
and the therapeutic Health services, the former to be run by the
Minister of Health with its staff, the latter to be under the aegis
of the local authority, whereas at the Chest Clinic the work of
prevention and treatment has hitherto been happily integrated.
Finally, I wish to express my very great indebtedness to all
my colleagues, without whose help and co-operation the standard
of work at the Chest Clinic could never have been achieved.