London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Hampstead 1924
Report for the year 1924 of the Medical Officer of Health
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Of the new cases notified in 1924:—
| Pulmonary. | Non-pulmonary. | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | 4 | were dead or dying at time of notification. |
| 10 | 5 | were patients in hospitals. |
| 6 | — | „ sanatoria. |
| 2 | — | „ infirmaries. |
| 4 | 2 | „ institutions. |
| 3 | — | removed from Hampstead almost immediately after notification. |
| 2 | 2 | were out-patients of hospitals. |
| 22 | 2 | were attended by private doctors only. |
| 51 | 13 | came within the orbit of the Dispensary Scheme, either by attending themselves or their contacts attending for examination. |
Nearly half the number of notified cases actually attended the
Dispensary, while others were dealt with by the Tuberculosis Medical
Officer elsewhere.
The deaths of non-notified cases of Tuberculosis numbered 8, and
the total tuberculosis deaths 70 ; the ratio of non-notified tuberculosis
deaths to total tuberculosis deaths being 1 in 9*.
Closely akin to non-notified fatal cases is the question of those patients who are not notified until they reach a very advanced stage of the disease. This unfortunate aspect of what must in some cases be " late " notification is indicated by the following table:—
| 1920. | 1921. | 1922. | 1923. | 1924. | |
| Total deaths, all forms of Tuberculosis.. | 55 | 72 | 71 | 58 | 70 |
| No. notified within one month of death | 2 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 9 |
| No. notified within three months of death | 4 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 |
| No. notified within six months of death | 3 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
It is most important that the advanced and highly infectious case
should be removed from its close association with other people, and
an institution for such cases is still a greatly-needed and much overdue
provision.
An open-air school for delicate and suspected children is another
very urgent need. Every child, who is under observation by the
* In addition to the 8 non-notified cases, a further 9 cases were notified only at death.