Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-07-10
FOR THE CONTROLl
OF TUBERCULOSIS
A Plan Proposed by DR.. Albert
Robin Adopted by the Della
ware Commission.

The Delaware tuberculosis Commits
| sion yesterday afternoon adopted tho
following plan, proposed by DIR. Albert
Robin, executive secretary, for controlling
tuberculosis in the State:
''The Office of the executive secretary
should be maintained as at present, with
competent assistant in charge. 1t
should maintain q statistical bureau, with
full records of all cases of tuberculosis IN
the State, such records to be obtained
from the nurses in the employ of the com
mission as well as any other agency that
may be willing to cooperate, such as the
welfare and charity organizations, State
and local Boards Of Health and the State
laboratory, at Newark. By keeping
complete record Of all the patients who die
from tuberculosis this office will be IN
position TO check up the work of the nurses
Is well as the doctors. This office should
also keep duplicates of the examination
records made by the county physicians.
"For the present the nurses IN the field
may suffice, provided they are supplied
with automobiles. l understand that the
nurse in Sussex county has machine.
The nurses in the other two counties
should be furnished with Ford runabouts.
1t may BE- possible to persuade the Red
Cross to exchange DR. Charles ii. keene S
0orner executive secretary car for the
two runabouts. The nurses should main
tain headquarters where the dispensaries
are located at present and should be
found at these places when not out on calls.
By special arrangement with the county
doctors they may conduct weekly clinics
on such dates and during such hours AS
may be convenient TO the physicians. The
nurses are to visit regularly all con-
sumptives under their care, arrange for
examinations of patients at the doctors
off as well as notify the physicians
when any of the patients under their care
require medical attention, except, OF
course, when the patient is under q doc
tors care, in which case the nurse should
cooperate with the attending physician
and be under his orders In other words,
the nurses may be used not only by the
doctors on our own staff, but by any
physician, the primary object being to
have every consumptive properly cared
for. The nurses will be supplied With
blanks, on which they will make a record
of the patent condition at each visit,
leaving such records In the home OF the
patient for the information of the doctor
when he makes his visit. They Will also
COPY the records of the first examinations
of the patients and send these records TO
the office of the executive secretary. IL
the nurses are at all alert they will be able
directly or indirectlyto learn of all cases OF
tuberculosis in their districts.
''The county physicians will make ex-
aminations and treat all cases of tuber-
culosis brought to them by the nurses
either at the clinics or their private offices.
They will visit patients who are bedrldden
or for some other adequate reason are un-
able to come to see them. These visits
should be at least once a week or oftener IN
special cases, except, of course, when the
patient is already under the care OF his
own physician. The examinations OF
patients will be made on special blanks
furnished by the commission. In cases IN
which the physician desires consultation
such will be furnished by the commission
When possible an X-ray examination
should be made IN every case, and arrange
ments will be made by the commission to
have this work done at convenient points
In the State.
'In general, the county physicians will
consider themselves as members of the
medical staff of the commission and viii
endeavor to represent the latter and serve
its interests in their respective territories
Only In this comprehensive way may we
hope to combat the great enemy of'nan- |
kind in an effective manner.
'As to the appointment of the medical !
staff, / would suggest that the doctors |
should be picked for their ability and |
willingness to cooperate, their selection |
to be made by the executive secretary, |
while the actual appointment, as well as
for cause, TO be In the hands Of |
the commission"