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reached this country in the late summer. There was a high general sickness
rate in the borough in the autumn, but it was difficult to say how
much of this was due to the ordinary autumnal cold perhaps rather more
severe because of the previous mild winter. At the very end of the year
there appeared to be a second influenzal wave occurring and this one
was in fact much more associated with cases of pneumonia and deaths
from bronchitis. The wave continued into the early part of 1958, but the
total number of cases was not large.
Tuberculosis
The number of cases notified increased a little over the previous
year, but remained considerably less than in 1955 and the years before
that. The number of deaths was 33 (31 respiratory and 2 of other forms).
The mass x-ray unit is useful in digging out cases, and it is always hoped
that such cases will be discovered, and treated, at a stage when they
will be least potentially infectious to other people.
The age distribution of the new cases of tuberculosis notified by
formal notifications and the deaths from tuberculosis during the year
are shown in the following table:—