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12
children exposed to almost certain infection can be removed to
safe surroundings.
During the past year 122 or 56 per cent, of the persons who
died from pulmonary tuberculosis were unable to secure a separate
bedroom during the course of the treatment at home, although
some of this number actually died in an institution, the total
number of deaths occurring at home during the year being 116,#
53"7 per cent, of the total number, 216. In 69 ot the cases ivlo
did not have even a bed to themselves, tubercle bacilli wen
known to be present in the sputum. During 1922 the number of
deaths at home was 74, or 36.6 per cent, of the total number,
202, so that this year's figures are considerably worse than the
previous year.
Under these circumstances there is little to wonder at in the
fact that this disease is still so prevalent.
There were 128 deaths among dispensary patients, and 64 d
these patients, or 50 per cent., were in the final stage of the disease
on first attendance; 46 patients, or 36 per cent., were in the
second stage. It also appears from an examination of the case
papers that 74 of these cases, or 57 per cent., had been suffering
from this disease for a period varying between three to twelve
months before being referred to the dispensary.
The Council requested the Ministry of Health to take the
necessary steps for authorising the Council to appoint a Tliberalosis
Committee, formed upon the same lines as the (Maternity
and Child Welfare Committee, of Members of the Public Health
Committee and co-opted persons representative of social welfare
institutions, in order to co-ordinate all anti-tuberculosis measures
now in use, and to have delegated to them all matters in relation
to Tuberculosis generally, but the Ministry did not accede to this
request.