Report of the Committee of Management and Medical Director : 1941 / Papworth Village Settlement.

  • Papworth Village Settlement (Cambridge, England)
Date:
1941
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Committee of Management and Medical Director : 1941 / Papworth Village Settlement. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    10/24 page 10
    of Parliament “ which brought public assistance within the province of the Local Authorities, at once threw into bold relief the two aspects of tuberculosis with which Papworth deals—the medical aspect and the economic aspect.” In that year we introduced a sliding scale of fees which, it was noted, “ has already found favour with general progressive authorities who now find it cheaper to send cases to Papworth than to retain them in their own sanatoria.” Ten years later, to-day, our waiting list, although too long is proof that our facilities are still a sound proposition to the Local Authorities. To recall some words of the 1931 Report again —” it is far cheaper to secure settlement for larger numbers of tuberculous persons and their families than to continue the practice of sending them prematurely back to their homes.” These words echo still, and in the last 10 years over thirty cottages have been added by private subscriptions to the Papworth Estate. The vitality of the scheme cannot be better demon¬ strated than by the fact that to-day over thirty three men are awaiting cottages still. It always pleases me when I find men or women sent to us from Service units, manifesting every wish to stay at Papworth and to have every prospect of becoming good permanent em¬ ployees. being allowed by their responsible Local Authority to remain for treatment in our own hospital system in preference to their return to a bed in the local sanatorium. This has happened several times this year, especially with young men from the Services who have never yet known the devastating consequences of being diagnosed tuberculous. To such a person awaiting a Medical Board, the extent of the blow which follows when they realise the consequences of the diagnosis, is hard to realise. To quote Sir Pendrill in his report for 1939 : “ This war will not only witness the destruc¬ tion of tissue by disease, it is inevitable that the strands of moral fibre attuned to civilian life will be frayed and slackened by the clash of war and subsequent disablement. No cash bonus alone will attune the character to civilian pursuits The gradual return of a tuberculous man or woman to work after prolonged treatment is as much a test of moral determination as of physio¬ logical efficiency.” Now to revert again to the last ten years: In 1931 our capacity foroffering permanent jobs was confined to a turnover which was less than one- sixth of what it is now, and by floor space which was barely an eighth ! Can there be any greater pace of growth ? Having lost now our Founder, shall we be able to look forward, as he looked forward when he lost, ten years ago, his greatest friend, Sir F. Milner ? From the midst of the greatest economic slump to the midst of the greatest war, Papworth has been able wellnigh toduplk 10
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3