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Judging from the disastrous ravages of the tubercle bacillus in
a virgin population, unless the impossible task can be accomplished
of destroying every one of its varieties, it is surely far better to have
a population with a resisting power raised by the previous slight
infection to which we have all been subjected to, and which can be
further raised by improvements in housing, better nourishment, and
healthier habits of life.
It is no use crying over spilt milk, but one is impelled to ask
if all the money that has been spent on tuberculosis had been
used for housing and more generous supply of food to those
who, under their existing circumstances, could not obtain it,
whether the results to the public health would not have been much
better than they are.
It is quite possible that in the near future it may be possible to
effect a further increase of the resistive power by the employment
of inoculation of suitable material.
Anyway, the lessening of tuberculosis must be a slow process,
and the utterers of the bombastic phrases of consumption being
stamped out in a score or so of years are, I fear, likely to be
disappointed.
The number of deaths from tubercle in Camberwell was 353,
compared with 352 in 1920 and 373 in 1919. The figures for the
pulmonary form were 273, 274, and 294, respectively.
For the County of London for the same years the figures are
5,332, 5,746 and 5,777 respectively. 964 deaths in 1921 and 1,071
in 1920 were assigned to the non-pulmonary forms.
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
The Borough Council established two Municipal Infant Welfare
Centres during the year, No. 140, Camberwell Road and No. 114,
Lordship Lane. East Dulwich (the former was opened on 27th
May, 1921, and the latter 24th November, 1921), appointed two
health visitors, and, in addition, continued to subsidize the following
schools for mothers working in the Borough, viz.:—
St. Luke's School for Mothers, 2, Commercial Road, Peckham;
The Camberwell (Cambridge House) School for Mothers, 6,
Addington Square; The United Girls' School Settlement School for
Mothers, 19, Peckham Road; The Nunhead Mothers' Welcome, 31,
Nunhead Grove, and the Bird-in-Bush School for Mothers, 601,
Old Kent Road.
All these do health visiting, and in accordance with the
established practice I give below a summary of their work for the
year ended 31st December, 1921.
Attendances of Children 23,811
Do. Expectant Mothers 544
Do. Post-Natal Do. 548
Do. at Mothercraft Classes 5,974
Visits to Expectant Mothers 2,137
Do. to Children and Mothers 22,717
Total No. of Staff Visits 25,364
During the year three mothers and three children were sent
away for convalescent treatment.