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59.
therefore routine treatment by drugs and medicines is
strongly discouraged—a fact which, no doubt, causes
some disappointment in certain cases, especially those
who considered a bottle of medicine every fourteen days
the main object and benefit of the Dispensary in former
times.
Patients requiring medicines are now referred for
Domiciliary treatment under their own private doctors,
to institutions, or to the Guardians when circumstances
so indicate; but in cases of emergency or distress it has
been the custom to supply certain medicaments for a
limited period until satisfactory arrangements can be
made elsewhere.
Generally speaking, drug treatment remains of little
permanent benefit in dealing with tuberculosis, with the
possible exception of certain specific preparations such
as Sanocrysin and similar products which are only suitable
if administered in the hospital or sanatorium where
a most close watch can be carried out for deleterious
effects.
The number of Home visits made by the Dispensary
Staff in l928 reaches the large total of 5,560, of which
number 57l have been made by the Tuberculosis Officers
either for consultation and re-examination or for the
purpose of inspection of home conditions, etc., in certain
case* reported to them by the Nursing Staff and others.
No hard and fast rule can be laid down in respect
of domiciliary visiting by the Medical Officers but as a
routine measure it has usually been that all newly notified
cases are visited by them in order to ascertain the home
conditions, and to persuade "contacts" to attend.
The examination of "Contacts" is a most important
feature of Tuberculosis work, and is responsible occasionally
for bringing to light cases of consumption which
might have otherwise remained unknown to the detriment
of themselves and others. Such individuals may have
been quite unaware that there was anything radically