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29
REPORT OF TUBERCULOSIS OFFICER.
To the Medical Officer of Health.
Sir,
In presenting the Eleventh Annual Report on the work of the
Tuberculosis Department it may be stated at the outset that there
has been no alteration in the conduct of the Borough Scheme for the
Campaign against Tuberculosis, the work being carried out on proved
and established lines, with generally satisfactory results. For
Pulmonary Tuberculosis the Incidence Rate and Death Rate are
the lowest recorded in the Borough. The Notifications and Deaths
from Tuberculosis in 1923 were as under :—
Notifications. Deaths.
Non- Non-
Pulmonary Pulmonary Total Pulmonary Pulmonary Total
219 57 276 115 17 132
and the averages for the previous ten years (1913-1922)
282 122 135 24
In at least 8 instances, 6 pulmonary and 2 non-pulmonary, the
diagnosis of Tuberculosis was not confirmed after a period of
observation in Hospital, so that the corrected number of Notifications
should read 213 Pulmonary and 55 Non-pulmonary. These
figures are very satisfactory, giving an Incidence Rate as regards
Pulmonary Tuberculosis of 2.08 per 1,000, the lowest ever recorded
in the Borough, and showing that despite continued adverse
economic and social conditions the disease is not increasing. This
might be added despite the fact that Notification is becoming more
efficient every year.
The 8 cases referred to above comprised : 1 Cancer of the Lung
(died) : 1 Aneurism of the Aorta (died) ; 1 Heart Disease (died) :
1 Gastric Ulcer (died) : 1 Pneumonia (died) and 1 case of Bronchial
Catarrh following Gas Poisoning. These were all notified as suffering
from Pulmonary Tuberculosis, whilst 2 cases notified as Lupus
were found not tuberculous.
Non-Pulmonary Tuberculosis : The 57 Notifications included :
26 cases Tuberculosis of the Glands
6 „ „ „ Spine
10 „ „ ,, Joints
5„ ,, „ ,, Abdomen
1 „ „ „Bone
6 ,, „ „ Brain
1 ,, „ Testicle
2 „ ,, „ Skin (Lupus)
In connection with these Non-pulmonary Notifications affecting
chiefly children, it might be mentioned here that 33 or 57 per cent.
of the 57 cases notified used condensed milk almost exclusively.