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(c) The number of doubtful cases sent to the Tuberculosis
Officer for diagnosis or advice by General Practitioners continues
to rapidly increase. (The number of " Request" Cases
examined in 1920 was 359, and the number examined in 1923,
600. )
It is a pleasing feature of the work and a significant fact
that the Dispensary is now well recognised by the populace as
a centre for obtaining any information or advice concerning
Tuberculosis, and numerous interviews are given, and letters
written, on questions appertaining to Tuberculosis in its various
phases.
Though bad housing conditions continue to be prevalent,
I cannot refrain from testifying to the very marked improvement
in the general cleanliness of the interior of the dwellings
of most Tuberculous patients as compared with ten years ago,
and to the valiant efforts put forth by them to make the best of
existing conditions and to prevent, as far as practicable, the
spread of their complaint.
Notified Cases (i.e., cases notified by Medical Practitioners).—See
Table A. (Note.—Cases notified as Tuberculosis
to the Medical Officer of Health by the Tuberculosis
Officer are found under Tables C and D as Positive Cases.)
The number of these cases is slightly in excess of the
number for 1922, though the percentage of cases which proved
not to have been actually Tuberculosis is larger. The probable
reason for this is that a circular letter was sent to all General
Practitioners by the Ministry of Health asking them to pay
particular attention to the notification of all cases of Tuberculosis,
or cases reasonably suspected to be suffering from
1 uberculosis which came under their notice. This circular
letter was promulgated owing to the fact that in many districts
it became evident that a considerable number of deaths from
Tuberculosis had never been notified in life as suffering from
that disease.
Although the number of notified cases do not decrease,
what is very encouraging is the much higher percentage of
positive cases examined in the first stage of the disease—see
Table B. (In 1920, 50% in Stage I.; in i923 70% in Stage I.)