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The deaths from tuberculosis were 12.6 per cent. of the total
deaths; and the disease caused a higher mortality than all the
other zymotic diseases put together. It should be noted, however,
that the death-rate from phthisis (the most common form
of tuberculous disease) was in 1907 1.20, or .02 lower than in
1906, and .09 lower than in 1905.
Tuberculosis is essentially a preventable disease; and,
although improved methods of sanitary administration have
done much in recent years to check the spread of
this insidious disease, which has been well termed
the white plague, there is still much to be done
to limit its activity. In Battersea no special measures, outside
of general sanitary administrative methods, have been
adopted, other than visiting the houses from which cases have
been notified by philanthropic bodies or notices of deaths from
tuberculosis sent to the Medical Officer of Health by the district
Registrars. In these instances the houses are visited and
inspected and disinfection carried out where permitted. The
great drawback in dealing with these cases is the absence of
some form of notification. Compulsory notification has been
urged by sanitarians for some years, but so far without effect.