[Report 1937] / Medical Officer of Health, Edinburgh City.

  • Edinburgh (Scotland). City Council.
Date:
1937
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1937] / Medical Officer of Health, Edinburgh City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    46/258 (page 28)
    With the coming of the National Insurance Act, in 1912, it became necessary to i recast the whole arrangements which existed for the treatment of tuberculosis, and at. the end of that year there was already accommodation for 183 patients, with ground i available for extension if necessity required. At the end of 1937 we had at the City Hospital, 148 beds for the treatment of' pulmonary cases and 73 beds for non-pulmonary cases. In addition, 76 beds were available at the Royal Victoria Hospital for the treatment of patients in the early stages of pulmonary tuberculosis, while at Polton Farm Colony there were 18 beds for the further treatment of patients after discharge from hospital—a total of 313 beds. Despite the increased facilities, the urgent demand for accommodation, especially of the advanced cases, is a constant source of anxiety and there is a heavy waiting list. In 1913 the first Tuberculosis Officer for the City was appointed and during the following year an arrangement was concluded for the transference of the Royal Victoria Hospital, the Royal Victoria Dispensary and Polton Farm Colony. The Public Health Department nominally took over the control of these Institutions in August 1914 but, in regard to the Royal Victoria Hospital, an arrangement was immediately entered into with the Red Cross Society whereby the hospital was placed at their disposal for the treatment of military patients during the war. The work at the dispensary was carried on under the control of the Tuberculosis Officer and additional nurses were appointed with a view to a more thorough and systematic visitation of the patients in their own homes. A new and powerful X-ray outfit of the most modern and approved type was installed, replacing the original installation which had become obsolete. Further, the centre was equipped with arc and mercury vapour lamps for ultra-violet ray treatment. The patients attending the dispensary are supplied with all the necessary drugs and medicines, free of charge. During the year 1920 the administration of sanatorium benefit by the Burgh Insurance Committee was transferred to the City Authorities. This meant that the Public Health Department assumed full responsibility for the care and treatment of all persons suffering from tuberculosis, whether insured or not. Another outstanding event of 1920 was the extension of the City boundaries in November. The population was thereby increased by over 100,000. The sanatorium at Colinton Mains, the Royal Victoria Hospital and Polton Farm Colony continued to receive for treatment a very large proportion of the notified cases,, and during 1937, 859 of these were treated in hospital. That the large outlay on tuberculosis has been justified is shown by the appreciable reduction in the number of cases and deaths from the disease. The accompanying tables show the changes which have taken place during the past 25 years. In 1912, 1,255 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis were reported, repre-l