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
Greenwich 1922
The annual report made to the Council of the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich for the year 1922
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The Notifications and Deaths from Pulmonary Tuberculosis, with the Incidence and Death Rates for the previous five years, are recorded in the following Table :—
| Year. | Noti-fications. | Incidence per 1000. | Deaths. | Death Rate per 1,000. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1917 | 268 | 2.6 | 182 | 2.01 |
| 1918 | 267 | 2.6 | 146 | 1.62 |
| 1919 | 300 | 2.9 | 141 | 1.35 |
| 1920 | 264 | 2.5 | 120 | 1.14 |
| 1921 | 263 | 2.6 | 119 | 1.18 |
Housing Conditions. — Unfortunately, little progress can be
reported under this heading. Unemployment and the Housing
Shortage still continue with their attendant evils. Several families
referred from the Dispensary have been accommodated in the
Council's New Housing Estate, but the shortage of houses is still
very great.
Although it is all-important that more houses should be built,
it must not be lost sight of that it is equally if not more important
to clear out our slum areas if progress is to be made in preventing
and counteracting the spread of infection. Curiously enough the
Districts in the Borough in which the greatest overcrowding exists,
and where the hygienic conditions are poorest, furnish the fewest
notifications of Tuberculosis, a point which has been noted before
in connection with other diseases.
The sleeping accommodation of 218 patients notified during
the year gave the following information :—
125 were sharing a bed.
51 had a separate bed, but not a separate room.
42 had a separate room and a separate bed.
The four shelters provided by the Council have been in constant
use throughout the year.
Dealing with the Dispensary itself, 795 new patients were examined during the year. The sources from which these patients came will be found in the following Table :—
| Doctors | 170 |
| Hospitals | 17 |
| School Medical Service | 33 |
| Ministry of Pensions | 22 |
| Own Application | 78 |
| Other Sources | 15 |
| Nurses (Contacts) | 460 |