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

Hornsey 1913

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hornsey, Borough of]

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Table: Occupation.—The occupations of the 187 cases investigated, at the beginning of the illness, were as follows:—

Occupation.—The occupations of the 187 cases investigated, at the beginning of the illness, were as follows:—

Household and domestic work49
Factories and workshops25
Clerical and similar sedentary work36
Shop workers12
Outdoor manual work7
School33
No occupation25

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Predisposing Causes.—Among the conditions which may have
been contributory to the onset of tuberculosis were:—
Poor physique of the patients in 30 cases
Alcoholism ,, 7 „
Careless habits and late hours ,, 3 ,,
Poverty and insufficient food ,, 5 ,,
In 14 cases there was a local tuberculosis for some period previous
to symptoms of lung infection. In many cases there were
previous illnesses, which were thought by the patients to have
something to do with the onset of the Tuberculosis. These illnesses
were as follows:—
Pleurisy in 9 cases
Bronchitis ,, 13 ,,
Pneumonia ,,10 ,,
Adenoids ,, 3 ,,
Rheumatism ,, 2 ,,
and various other illnesses „ 6 ,,
In the cases of the Pleurisy and Bronchitis, no doubt what
was thought to be an antecedent illness was in many cases the onset
of the Tuberculosis.
Institutional Treatment.—Of the 136 Phthisical patients
visited it was found that 25 had already had institutional treatment
in Sanatoria. There were also 40 who had been in Hospitals or
Infirmaries and 12 others who had attended Dispensaries for special
treatment.
Many have subsequently received Sanatorium treatment
through the Middlesex County Council or otherwise.