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When the Tuberculosis Officer is of the opinion that a patient should be admitted to a sanatorium,
appropriate recommendations are forwarded to the County Medical Officer of Health, who,
in due course, informs the patient, the Tuberculosis Officer and the Borough Tuberculosis Care
Committee of the sanatorium where a bed is available and the date on which the patient should
present himself for admission.
St. Mary Abbots Hospital.
The Kensington Board of Guardians provide at St. Mary Abbots Hospital a ward containing
26 beds for male patients and a ward of 22 beds for female patients who are suffering from respiratory
tuberculosis. The latter ward has a good verandah with awnings where, whenever possible, patients
receive open air treatment. The beds are used for (1) emergency cases requiring immediate
institutional treatment whether or not sanatorium treatment is subsequently to be provided, (2)
advanced cases where the home conditions do not permit of proper isolation and (3) patients who are
not able to obtain adequate nursing attention at home.
No special provision is made at the hospital for non-respiratory cases but these are admitted
to the surgical wards when necessary.
Dr. Picard, the Tuberculosis Officer, has continued to act as Visiting Medical Officer to St.
Mary Abbots Hospital and has paid weekly visits to that institution throughout the year. The
Tuberculosis Officer has arranged the admission of some cases from the Dispensary to the St. Mary
Abbots Hospital and certain cases admitted to the Hospital from other sources have been transferred
by him after due observation to various sanatoria provided by the London County Council.
The linking up of the Council's Dispensary with the Tuberculosis Wards of the St. Mary
Abbots Hospital has proved of considerable value both from the curative and preventive aspect and,
on behalf of the Tuberculosis Officer and myself, I desire to thank Dr. Remington Hobbs, Medical
Superintendent of the Hospital, for the valuable assistance we have received from him and his
Assistant Medical Officers.
Medical Consultations and X-Ray Diagnosis.
The arrangements approved by the Ministry of Health and the County Council under which
the Tuberculosis Officer can consult Visiting Specialists at the St. Mary Abbots Hospital and send
Dispensary patients to that institution for the purpose of X-ray diagnosis have remained in operation
throughout the year.
Light Treatment.
Negotiations between the Public Health Committee of the Council and the Victoria Hospital
for Children, Tite Street, Chelsea, for the treatment of suitable patients residing in the southern
portion of the Borough by artificial light, and with the Kensington Branch of the British Red Cross
Society for the treatment of patients from any part of the Borough, were concluded satisfactorily in
1927.
Up to the present time only a few tuberculous patients have received treatment under this
scheme and it is too early for me to make a statement as to the extent of the benefit derived from
exposure to the artificial sunlight.
The Council have continued to accept financial responsibility for "Finsen light" treatment
applied to suitable cases of lupus and surgical tuberculosis at the London Hospital. The usual
charge for this treatment is 5s. per exposure. The number of cases treated during the year under
review was two at a total cost to the Council of £29 5s. 0d.
Co-operation with Medical Practitioners and other Bodies and Institutions.
The Tuberculosis Dispensary is used fairly extensively as a consultation and treatment centre
by School Medical Inspectors and the Medical Officers of School Treatment Centres. Reports are
sent by the Tuberculosis Officer to the Divisional Medical Officer of the London County Council in
regard to all school children who are contacts of notified respiratory cases, whether attending the
Dispensary or not, thus enabling the School Medical Inspectors to keep under observation those
children who, although found to be unaffected by tuberculosis at the time of the primary examination,
are exposed to infection in their homes. Those children who are found to be suffering from or are
suspected of having contracted the disease continue to attend the Tuberculosis Dispensary for further
observation and treatment, or are sent for institutional or convalescent treatment.
An all important factor in the treatment of tuberculosis is early diagnosis and with this in
mind every endeavour has been made during the past few years to encourage medical practitioners
to avail themselves of the services of the Tuberculosis Officer in a consultative capacity. The
number of reports upon patients sent to medical practitioners has increased year by year. There
were 231 cases referred to the Dispensary by private practitioners during 1927 as compared with 205
in 1926.