London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Islington 1911

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington, Metropolitan Borough of]

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176
1911]
It is regrettable that only two certificates were received from relieving officers,
for undoubtedly such notifications would enable the Public Health Department
to disinfect the rooms vacated by these phthisical persons at once, and before
re-occupation by other persons. It would, also, enable a more correct record
of their whereabouts to be obtained; for unfortunately, it not inf: equently
happens that a patient is completely lost sight of for a time, until at length he
reappears in another part of the borough, having in the meantime been on an
itinerary, which is not always confined to Islington.

In the following Table is shown how certificates are duplicated and reduplicated owing to the migrations of these poor law cases. It gives the particulars for three years.

Years.Number of Certificates received respecting individual pitients.
2820171514121110987654321
1909....11..1122267204572202489
1910..1....1..1..22310162765166402
19111..1........1..234133377189419

This Table may be read in this way: in 1909 1 patient was notified 17
times; 1 patient was notified 15 times; 1 was notified 12 times; 1, 11 times;
2, 10 times; 6, 7 times; 202, twice; 489, once.
Last year it will be noticed that an individual was notified 28 times.
If this were his complete record perhaps it would not excite great wonder, but
when it is recollected that he is the same man of whose wanderings the
Medical Officer of Health gave a full account in the Annual Report for 1910,
in which year he was notified 20 times, he becomes of special interest; indeed,
up to the date on which these lines were written, he has been notified 59 times.
He is followed very closely by another man, who was notified 12 times in 1909,
14 in 1910, and 17 in 1911, and at the time of writing he has been notified 47
times. These men are continually in and out of the local poor law institutions,
of which they seem to make considerable use.
Public Health (Tuberculosis in Hospitals) Regulations, 1911.
—On May 1st, 1911, the notification of pulmonary tuberculosis among hospital
patients became compulsory on Medical Officers of hospitals and dispensaries.
Under this set of regulations 586 notifications relating to 500 persons were