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9
Work of Chest Clinic
Dr. T.A.C. McQuiston, the Physician in Charge at the Tottenham Chest
Clinic which also serves Wood Green, who has kindly supplied the following
figures of the work during 1958, states that there has been a fall in the total
attendances at the Chest Clinic during 1958 as compared with 1957, but this is
wholly due to the fact that treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis by artificial
pneumothorax and pneumoperitoneum has now been discontinued, and previously
there were some hundreds of such cases attending for treatment at weekly or
fortnightly intervals.
Total number of attendances 23,711
Total number of new cases during 1958 5,170
Total number of new cases notified as
suffering from tuberculosis 139
Total number who attended for miniature
X-ray 6,655
Total number of new contacts 906
Miss B.S. Johnston, B.Sc., Acting Welfare Officer at the Chest Clinic in
commenting on the welfare work in 1958 states
"It is difficult to draw a true picture of the year s activities because of the
lack of continuity in the casework and because of differences in approach to keeping
statistics. This report is therefore mainly an impression of approximately six
months work at the clinic. The statistics may not be strictly accurate but merely
serve as an indication of the kind of work being carried out in the department.
The work undertaken in the Welfare Department at Tottenham shows a continuation
of the declining trend experienced in most other clinics in the country.
The number of tuberculous patients referred to the Welfare Officer has declined
absolutely and there has been no compensatory increase in the number of cases
of carcinoma, bronchitis and other chest conditions referred. Of 756 patients
seen in the department, only 69, or just over 9%, had "other" chest diseases
or conditions. This is a surprisingly small total in view of chronic
bronchitis and lung cancer. A large proportion of "other" cases referred had
heart conditions.
The employment figures quoted in the statistics are an indication of the
very useful service provided by the Disablement Resettlement Officers in this
area. Relations between the D.R.O.s and the clinic are extremely cordial and
difficult cases are discussed with the D.R.O. at the clinic. Rehabilitation and
training has been arranged for thirteen patients, seven of whom have been successfully
placed in industry at the completion of their course. Five patients commenced
training late in the year and are still attending training courses. There have been
some failures and ten patients have been carried forward into the new year as
requiring employment. Some patients referred to the D.R.O. in the late summer
became unfit for work again before they found suitable employment but the service
on the whole is adequate.