View report page

122
APPENDIX II.
TUBERCULOSIS DISPENSARY
REPORT FOR THE YEAR 1936
By H. Tylford Howell, M.R.C.S., Eng., L.R.C.P., Lond.,
Clinical Tuberculosis Officer.
Before presenting the statement of the work of the Dispensary,
I have to report a change in the personnel of the department.
Mrs. Darnell, who had acted as Clerk since 1919, resigned her
appointment during the year. She was most efficient and capable
and always took the keenest interest in her work. We much
regretted her decision to retire.
Apart from the usual clerical duties, the Dispensary Clerk is
responsible for the keeping of the intricate records required by
the Ministry of Health. The question of filling the post satisfactorily
is, in consequence, not an easy one ; so we are fortunate
in securing the services of Miss Wright, who has had five years
previous experience in this class of work at the Fulham Dispensary.
Miss Wright took up her duties on July 1st and has already
proved herself a competent clerk.
As a result of the Tuberculosis Officers taking on the work of
" refills " in Pneumothorax cases in April, it was found necessary
to make a slight alteration in the sessions. The hours at present
are as follows :—
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings
from 10 to 12 o'clock, and Thursday evenings from 7.30
to 9 o'clock.
Saturday mornings are reserved as far as possible for school
children, and Thursday evenings for those patients who are at
work during the day. In addition to the above, three sessions
for Artificial Pneumothorax refills have been added ; Thursday
morning at 12 o'clock, Thursday afternoon at 2 o'clock, and
Saturday morning at 12.30. These arrangements are working
quite satisfactorily.
The Artificial Pneumothorax Clinics have given us an added
interest in our work, though necessarily adding considerably to
our duties. Since April there have been 775 attendances, with
629 " refills," at these clinics. These figures do not perhaps
convey the amount of time and work given to these cases.
I would point out that before deciding whether to give a patient
a refill or not, it is essential at each attendance to make a thorough
clinical examination, and in addition, in the majority of