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PREVENTION OF ILLNESS, CARE AND AFTER-CARE
The work under this Section of the Act is mainly concerned with
Tuberculosis and I am indebted to Dr. H. Duff-Palmer, Consultant
Physician to the Wanstead and Woodford Chest Clinic at Harts
Hospital for the following report:
The decrease in tuberculosis continues, thirty new cases being
discovered as compared with thirty-four the previous year. One
hundred and eighty-three new contacts were examined. The value
of this type of examination is well illustrated by the following case:
one child, examined as a contact of his mother, herself an open
case of tuberculosis, was found to have a primary infection and was
at once admitted to High Wood Hospital. X-ray investigations discover
these early cases which otherwise would go into more advanced
disease before being detected. During the year, six hundred and sixteen
old contacts were examined and it is interesting to note that of
these, three patients were consequently notified and treated as cases
of pulmonary tuberculosis.
The increased use being made of the Clinic facilities by the area
served (Wanstead, Woodford and Buckhurst Hill) is reflected in the
X-ray examinations—four thousand two hundred and sixty-five as
compared with three thousand four hundred and thirty six in 1956.
Ninety one children received B.C.G. vaccination. These were mainly
children in close contact with cases of pulmonary tuberculosis and
consequently very vulnerable to the disease.
The close co-operation with the Medical Officer of Health and
his Department continues and much help is given to needy families,
particularly in the field of re-housing.
As is now well-known, Chest Clinics are no longer Tuberculosis
Dispensaries. All types of diseases of the chest are dealt with, both
from the preventative and curative angle. Many cases can be
treated as out patients, returning to work as quickly as possible and
the final saving of hospital bed accommodation is very considerable.
In the field of non-tuberculous chest conditions, cancer of the lung
continues to increase and the need for early chest investigation is
vital. Chronic bronchitis, often called the "English Disease", is of
great importance in the Nation's economy and demands long and
continuous treatment.
The fight against tuberculosis is being won, but it is necessary
not to relax any of our efforts, until we have virtually eliminated
what has been called the "White Plague."
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