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140
REPORT OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH AS TO
FORMULATION OF SCHEME FOR DISPENSARY AND
DOMICILIARY TREATMENT OF CASES OF TUBERCULOSIS.
Reference.—That the Medical Officer of Health be requested
to prepare and submit a scheme for the treatment of cases referred
to the Sub-Committee for dispensary or domicilary treatment;
that he do indicate the arrangements which he suggests should
exist as regards: (1) the fees to be paid to dispensaries and doctors.
(2) The purchase of drugs and medicines, and the price to be paid
therefor. (3) The preparation of lists of doctors who shall attend
patients at their homes and (4) the linking, where necessary, of
dispensary and home treatment.
To the Chairman and Members of the
Temporary Local Sanatorium Sub- Committee
for the Borough of Hackney.
I have carefully considered the above request, and beg herewith
to report on the subject matter thereof. It can hardly be expected
that I should formulate a scheme which will be complete in all its
details, or one which will not want some modification to meet passing
needs. It is an advantage to schemes intended to meet new conditions,
if at first they are not drafted too much in detail, in order to
allow of modification as experience may indicate.
Introduction.—Before considering the actual terms of your
reference, I think it is necessary in the first place to refer briefly
to certain peculiarities of tuberculosis, the manner in which the
disease is spread from person to person and its prevention. Tuberculosis,
as is well known, is an infectious disease, but it differs
from the ordinary acute infectious diseases in that it has in most
cases a long duration, lasting in some cases many years. The
sufferer is not infectious during the whole of this period, but only
at intervals. The means by which the disease is spread from