[Report 1931] / Medical Officer of Health, St Helens County Borough.

  • St. Helens (Merseyside, England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1931
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1931] / Medical Officer of Health, St Helens County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    53/144 (page 41)
    At the X-Ray department 48 cases of tuberculous adenitis and 23 cases of tuberculous skin affections made 890 attendances for treatment. Previously it has been necessary to pass comment on the premises at present in use for the Tuberculosis Dispensary. It is again necessary to emphasize their inadequacy and to point out that, by being so unsuitable, they prevent the installation of a modern 1 X-Ray apparatus. The one at present in use has distinct limit- 5 ations and should be replaced at the earliest opportunity by an j equipment devoted solely to purposes of diagnosis ; treatment ) could then be carried out more efficiently by installing a separate j artificial sunlight apparatus. During the year 1 62 specimens of sputum were examined in connection with the dispensary and 20 found positive. During the year the tuberculosis officer paid 1 49 visits to i the homes of patients, and in the following-up of cases, 1,556 visits i were paid by the tuberculosis nurse, health visitors, and orthopaedic ^ nurse. In addition, 846 visits were paid by nurses and health 'i visitors under the Public Health (Tuberculosis) Regulations, 1912. ; During 1931, 51 contacts were examined and of these 1 none was found to be definitely tuberculous, 14 were doubtfully i tuberculous and 37 were non-tuberculous. The number of contacts presenting themselves for exam- :i ination is still too small. The object of examining contacts is 1 not only to detect disease in those who have been subjected to ^ abnormal exposure, but in the absence of disease to reassure them J and dispel their very natural fears. When it is remembered that, 3 as a fact, the proportion of contacts found to be tuberculous is, i in our experience, very small, it becomes obvious that the contact i has everything to gain by coming forward to be overhauled and T nothing to lose. Oh the other hand, in the small minority where i disease is found, early diagnosis and treatment gives the patient ;j that hope of cure which is impossible when treatment is delayed, I