[Report 1924] / Medical Officer of Health, Middlesbrough County Borough.

  • Middlesbrough (England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1924
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1924] / Medical Officer of Health, Middlesbrough County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    contracted this disease as compared with 499 the preceding year ; such an increase does not augur well for the death rate of the coming year or two. The Dispensary. The staff and the character of the work of the Dispensary has undergone no change. The attendance of patients show a slight increase over the previous two years. There was a considerable increase in the number of new cases sent by the general practitioners for diagnosis, a gratifying feature in the sense that the specialised nature of the work is fully recognised by the medical men of the Borough. The preventive aspect of the work is still represented by the examination of contacts in the home of the patient and at the Dispensary, and the visits of the Medical Officer and Nurse Visitors to the houses of the infected and infective individuals. Residential Treatment. Thirty beds are devoted to the residential treatment of Tuberculosis patients in West Lane Sanatorium. Hemlington Sanatorium has not been available for the treatment of Tuberculosis on account of the continued Smallpox epidemic On occasion it was found that the accommodation at West Lane was not sufficient for the number of cases requiring Sanatorium treatment and several patients had to be sent to Sanatoria outside of the area. The Tuberculosis Medical Officer was given permission by the Council to send patients in such circumstances to outside Sanatoria. Half the cost of treatment both in West Lane Sanatorium and in other Sanatoria is recovered from the Exchequer. The six beds retained by the local authority at Broomlands for the treatment of cases of Surgical Tuberculosis in children were kept in full use during the year. The cost of these beds, as pertaining to a Poor Law Authority, has to be met in full by the Corporation. It seems strange that an excellent Institution such as The Broomlands, through a red-tape regulation should be precluded from more extensive use by the Local Authority on account of the lack of aid from the Ministry of Health As a result of the protracted nature of the treatment for such diseases as Tuberculosis of hip joint, spine or other bony parts, only a limited number of cases can be dealt with in a year and this very necessary work is therefore inadeejuately met in Middlesbrough. The results during the year have been excellent, ten children hav received treatment and six are still under treatment. e
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