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
Chelsea 1912
Annual report for 1912 of the Medical Officer of Health
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The following Table shows the number of notifications received under the Public Health (Tuberculosis in Hospitals) Regulations, 1911:-
| First notifications by M.O., Brompton Hospital | 17 | 21 | 38 |
| „ „„„ St. George's Hospital | 14 | 4 | 18 |
| „ „„„ Mount Vernon Hospital | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| „ „ „ „ other Hospitals and Sanatoria | 25 | 12 | 37 |
| 61 | 39 | 100 |
The following Table shows the number of notifications received under the Public Heath (Tuberculosis) Regulations, 1911: —
| Males. | Females. | Total. | ||
| Notifications by private Medical Practitioners | 38 | 32 | 70 | |
| ,, „ L.C.C. School Medical Officer | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 38 | 34 | 72 | ||
During the year 3912, 1,691 notifications of pulmonary tuberculosis
were received from the Brompton and 14 notifications from other
hospitals in Chelsea relating to patients who were found on examination
at the hospitals to be suffering from this disease, but who resided in
places other than Chelsea. These 1,705 notifications were allocated to
their respective sanitary districts in London, greater Loudon, or the provinces,
as the case might be, and were sent on by post to the Medical
Officers of Health for the districts in which the patients resided. Every
week a list of these patients and the sanitary authorities from whom the
notification fees should be collected, has been sent to the authorities of
the Brompton and other hospitals notifying the cases.
The new regulations of the Local Government Board (The Public
Health (Tuberculosis) Regulations, 1912) come into force on the 1st
February, 1913, when the system hitherto prevailing will be altered, and
the Medical Officers of Hospitals will be required to notify the patients
direct to the district in which they reside.
Sixteen specimens of sputum were seut during the year by medical
practitioners to the Lister Institute for free bacterioscopic diagnosis. Of
these, six showed the presence of tubercle bacilli and ten did not.
Of the notified cases of phthisis on the register, 23 died in the course
of the year. Seven of these patients managed to keep at work until
within a very short period before their deaths. Three of these cases were
not notified until a day, or two days, before a fatal termination of the
illness. One of the notified cases had been on the register 2½ years, two
had been on l½ years, and the remainder had beeu on for periods
varying between 3 weeks and 8 months.
Of the 92 cases on the register, of which fairly full notes have been
obtained as the result of visits made by the Lady Sanitary Inspector, in
24 there was a history of tuberculosis in the family of the patient, and in
some of these cases the patient may have been directly infected from his
tuberculous relative. In 27 cases the tuberculous illuess appears to have
been preceded by an attack of bronchitis, pleurisy, pneumonia, or merely
neglected catarrhs following upon exposure to wet and cold. Many of
these cases were men following outdoor occupations. In nine cases the