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
Deptford 1959
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Deptford Borough]
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Tuberculosis Register
| Pulmonary | Non-Pulmonary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M | F | Total | M | F | Total | |
| Cases notified for the first time | 62 | 30 | 92 | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| Posthumous notifications | 4 | – | 4 | – | – | – |
| New cases in Borough coming to knowledge otherwise than by primary notification | 33 | 21 | 54 | – | 1 | 1 |
I am indebted to the Chest Physician, Dr. J. P. V. Rigby, for the following
report concerning the Chest Clinic at Harton Street, which is of great
interest: —
Cases on Chest Clinic Register at 31.12.59:—
| Definite | 1,117 |
| Observation | 43 |
| Number of new contacts examined | 366 |
| Total attendance at the Chest Clinic | 6,572 |
TUBERCULOSIS CARE COMMITTEE
Interviews by Secretary 488
Cases assisted by Care Committee 47
Sums raised by Christmas Seal Sale, 1959 £84 1s. 5d.
(The latter figure was greatly assisted by the raising of
£190 by the Friends of the Deptford Chest Clinic during
1959.)
" The following is a brief resume of the year's activities:
The number of 1,117 tuberculous cases on the register remains
remarkably constant, even though 129 cases were removed from the
register during the year as having left the borough. A large number of
cases come into the area and take the place of those who have left. 98
cases of tuberculosis of all types were diagnosed during 1959. The large
numbers of cases of tuberculosis who move in and out of Deptford must
consistute a local feature.
The numbers of changes of address in cases that I have got to know
well, have always struck me as being remarkably high. During a time
of considerable re-organisation of housing in the area, perhaps some
movement of this type is to be expected. One disturbing feature which
occupies a great deal of the Chest Physician's time, is the question of
re-housing of tuberculous cases through official channels, which, in my
opinion, remains deplorably slow.
Though the number of deaths from tuberculosis shows a gradual decline,
the amount of disability still present among those cases who survive, is