Welsh Journals

THE WELSH NATIONAL MEMORIAL. Offices: Westgate Street, Cardiff. The King Edward VII. Welsh National Memorial Association has been looming large in the public life of Wales during the past three years, and it is difficult to realise the enormous work that has been accomplished during that period. The first eighteen months was largely devoted to educational work- to a campaign for rousing Wales and Monmouth- shire into a consciousness of the grim reality of the problem it had to face, in order to grapple effectually with the white scourge which devastated the land. Side by side with this was the campaign for raising the Memorial Fund. The Annual Report of the Association, issued last July, shows that up to that date the Anti-Tuberculosis Exhibition had visited 94 populous towns, and that the Caravan and its lecturers had paid visits to no fewer than 295 centres in rural areas. It was in July of 1911 that the real work of treat- ment was entered upon. At that date the only institutions in Wales for dealing with tuberculosis were the West Wales Sanatorium at Llanybyther with 25 beds, the Penhesgyn Open Air Home, Anglesey, with 8 beds, and the Tuberculosis Dis- pensary established by the Corporation in the City of Cardiff. Since then the Association has covered the Princi- pality with a network of institutions. To-day the Association has at work a staff of fourteen Tuber- culosis Physicians, seven Relief and Assistant Physi- cians, and thirteen Tuberculosis Nurses, who between them work from fourteen central institutes, and pay periodical visits to close upon a hundred visiting stations, scattered throughout the thirteen counties. The accommodation at the West Wales Sanatorium has been increased from 25 to 53 beds, and in a few days 30 more beds will be added, while the number of beds at Penhesgyn has been doubled Outside Wales, the Association has established two Sanatoria, one at Udal Torre, Yelverton, Devon- shire, with beds for 43 men and another at Dousland near Yelverton, with beds for 38 women. In addi- ton about sixty beds have been secured by the Asso- ciation for its patients in institutions belonging to other authorities in England. For the purposes of a permanent Sanatorium in South Wales, the Association has purchased Pontywal -a beautiful estate near Talgarth, Breconshire. The mansion on the Estate has already been con- verted into a temporory Sanatorium, and 45 women patients are already in residence. Plans have been prepared for the erection at Pontywal of a complete Sanatorium, fully equipped for the accommodation of 250 adults and 50 children, and it is believed that the contract for the erection of these buildings will be let in January. Excellent progress has also been made for a permanent Sanatorium in North Wales. A site has been presented to the Association in one of the most beautiful spots in the Vale of Clwyd by Mr. D. S. Davies, of Denbigh, and plans have been prepared for the erection thereon of an institution providing accommodation for close upon 200 patients -adult and children. Another equally important branch of the work o the Association is the provision of hospitals for tuber- culous patients. 1 he complete scheme embraces the provision of such a hospital within reach of every county in the Principality. Several of these have already been opened, such as Mcadowslea Hospital, near Pcnyffordd, Denbighshire, with 22 beds the Cymla Hospital, Neath, with 16 beds. and Glan Ely Hospital, near Cardiff, with 50 beds. Extension works are in progress with the view of doubling the accommodation at each of these places. New hospi- tals are about being provided in Llangefni, Anglesey Carnarvon; lalybont, Merionethshire; Newtown, Montgomeryshire Breconshire Cardiganshire; Carmarthenshire Pembrokeshire and Monmouth- shire. Meanwhile, temporary hospitals have been opened at Carnarvon, Newtown, Bridgend, and Bassaleg, and arrangements have been made by the Association for the treatment of the tuberculous patients in institutions belonging to other Authorities at Car- marthen, Swansea, Newport, Merthyr Tydfil, Wrex- ham, Conway and London. At the present moment the Association has approximately 300 Sanatorium beds and 300 hospital beds at'its disposal. At the last meeting of the Council of the Association, held on October 17th, 1913, at Shrewsbury, the following eloquent figures were submitted as to the number of patients who had received treatment up to Septem- ber 30th, 1913 Ins. Non. Ins. Total In Sanatoria 391 219 610 In Hospitals 361 343 704 1,314 Examined, treated or re- commended for treat- ment at Institutes and Visiting Stations 7,327