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 1918
Annual (abridged) reports of the Medical Officer of Health, for the years 1917 and 1918
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Chelsea Tuberculosis Dispensary, Brompton Hospital. Work done during 1918.
| Number of Persons examined for the first time:— | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Insured | 99 | |||
| Uninsured | 191 | |||
| 290 | ||||
| Number of Persons suffering from:— | ||||
| Tuberculosis | 61 or 21 % | |||
| Doubtful diagnosis | 158 „ 53 % | |||
| Not tuberculous | 74 „ 26 % | |||
| Total attendances at Dispensary:— | ||||
| Insured | 720 | |||
| Uninsured | 979 | |||
| 1699 | ||||
| Visits at homes of patients by Medical Officer:— | ||||
| Insured | 5 | |||
| Uninsured | 5 | |||
| 10 | ||||
| Visits to homes of patients by Dispensary and District Nurses:— | ||||
| Insured | 516 | |||
| Uninsured | 855 | |||
| 1371 | ||||
| Consultations with Medical Adviser of Insurance Committee | 51 | |||
| Consultations with Practitioners at homes of patients | - | |||
| Number of written reports concerning individual patients made to:— | ||||
| Public Authorities | 62 | |||
| Practitioners | 6 | |||
| Number of X-ray examinations of patients | 9 | |||
| Number of examinations of sputum:— | ||||
| Insured | 136 | |||
| Uninsured | 125 | |||
| 261 | ||||
Only one case of cerebro-spinal meningitis was notified amongst the
civil population of Chelsea in 1918, namely a female, aged 29, a bank
clerk. The case ended fatally after 8 days illness.
There were no cases notified in Chelsea of poliomyelitis.
A case of encephalitis letharqica was believed to be present at the
Chelsea Infirmary in May, 1918, in the person of a female, aged 43, but
the symptoms were not very definite, and the case may have been one of
hystero-epilepsy. The patient recovered. Another case with wellmarked
symptoms occurred in the person of a coal porter, aged 56, living
in Dartrey-road. This patient was treated in the Chelsea Infirmary in
May, and recovered.