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
Battersea 1947
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Battersea Borough]
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The death rate per 100,000 of the population during the 47 years ended 1947 in quinquennial averages and in 1946 and 1947 are given in the following table :—
| Years | Pulmonary | Non-Pulmonary | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1901-1905 | 138.1 | 50.9 | 189.0 |
| 1906-1910 | 126.8 | 45.9 | 172.7 |
| 1911-1915 | 124.2 | 338 | 158.0 |
| 1916-1920 | 134.8 | 30.0 | 164.8 |
| 1921-1925 | 92.6 | 23.0 | 115.6 |
| 1926-1930 | 91.1 | 14.2 | 105.3 |
| 1931-1935 | 81.8 | 14.4 | 96.2 |
| 1936-1940 | 76.1 | 9.2 | 85.3 |
| 1941-1945 | 91.8 | 11.0 | 102.8 |
| Average (45 years) | 106.2 | 25.8 | 132.0 |
| 1946 | 76.48 | 8.3 | 84.7 |
| 1947 | 51.3 | 9.6 | 60.9 |
Patients and Attendances.
In 1947 the number of new patients, contacts and transfer cases
added to the Dispensary Register was 905, as compared with 942 in
1946. Of these 694 were discharged as being non-tuberculous; 44 were
still under observation at the end of the year, and 167 were found
to be suffering from Tuberculosis.
Five cases kept under observation during previous years were also
found to be suffering from the disease, making a total of 172 new
definite cases.
Particulars of the 172 positive cases are given on pages 31/32.
Old patients to the number of 728 also attended during the year,
and the total number of attendances at the Dispensary in 194.7 was
7,735 (of which 6,830 were of old patients), as compared with 7,531
in 1946.
Visits to the homes of dispensary patients were made by the
Tuberculosis Officers in 249 instances, and 3,572 visits were made by
the Dispensary nursing staff, including 418 to patients not on the
Dispensary register. The number of deaths of Dispensary patients
was 53 as compared with 65 in 1946. Thirty-six of the patients were
discharged as " recovered " during the year, and 53 patients removed
to other districts or ceased to attend.
New Patients.
The five following tables contain particulars of the 172 new
cases found to be suffering from tuberculosis.
In the first table the Pulmonary cases are grouped under two
headings : —
(1) Group T.B. minus. In those cases Tubercle bacilli have
never been found in the sputum.