View report page

155
1909
propose to press them further than I have done already, beyond saying that the
necessity of trained Health Visitors in this Borough is greatly accentuated by
the Order of the Local Government Board with respect to pulmonary
tuberculosis. It is not generally appreciated I am afraid that the deaths from
phthisis, a preventable disease, form more than one-tenth of the total mortality
in Islington. Thus from 1892 1907 inclusive, the number of deaths was
88,642 from all causes, and from phthisis 8,303, which represent 161 deaths in
every 1,000 of the population. This mortality is indeed very great, but its
saddest feature is that the greater part of it (about five-sixths) occurs during
the principal working period of life, namely, from 15 to 55 years of age.
Therefore, the importance of the work that may be done cannot be easily
exaggerated, for it is, indeed, one of the greatest on which a sanitary authority
can be engaged — the prevention of disease and death among the workers of
the realm.
"It is now seventeen years since I pleaded in public at Portsmouth on
their behalf for the notification of phthisis at a meeting of Medical Officers of
Health, at which I am glad to recollect your Chairman (Councillor Cowling),
was present, and I, therefore, rejoice to think that at length, after the lapse of
so much time, something is about to be done throughout the Kingdom. That
good will follow the issue of this Order I have no doubt, if the sanitary
authorities will do their duty, as for the most part I think I am right in
anticipating, they will; but if they do nothing beyond issuing instructions
without following them by visits and enquiries, then the Order will, I fear, be
barren of good results."
The Medical Officer of Health has seen no reason since that report was
written to alter his views on this subject. On the contrary, the additional
experience has strongly confirmed them.
Of the total number of notifications received (1,582) during the year under
the Order, 540, or 34.1 per cent, were merely notices of transfer of patients
from one institution to another. Thus from Holborn Workhouse, Shepherdess
Walk, which is situated outside the borough, 371 cases were transferred to
Hclborn Infirmary, situated within this borough, and 169 cases were
transferred from the Islington Workhouse to the Islington Infirmary, both
within this borough. It will thus be seen that a large percentage of the
notifications was of very little utility from a public health point of view.