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
Deptford 1923
Annual report on the health of the Metropolitan Borough of Deptford
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38
As in previous years the age groups 25 to 35 shows a higher total than
the other groups. The total primary notifications show an increase of
34 on the previous year (13 more males and 21 more females) in
Pulmonary Tuberculosis, and an increase of 21 in non-Pulmonary
Tuberculosis (6 more males and 15 more females). As the death-rate
has fallen this may be taken to indicate some improvement in the
notification of cases. In 1923, 7 deaths occurred from cases of Pulmonary
Tuberculosis which had not been notified during life, as
compared with 25 in 1922 and 43 in 1921. The time of notification of
cases is still far from satisfactory as the following Table shows.
Probably this is chiefly due to delay in consulting a medical man.
Pulmonary Tuberculosis.
Interval between Notification and Death in 1923.
| Not notified | 7 |
| Died before receipt of notification | 11 |
| Died within one week of notification | 4 |
| „ „ one week to one month | 3 |
| „ „ one month to three months | 11 |
| „ „ three months to six months | 7 |
| „ „ six months to one year | 19 |
| „ ,, one to two years | 11 |
| „ „ two to three years | 10 |
| „ „ three to four years | 2 |
| ,, „ four to five years | 4 |
| „ „ five to six years | 2 |
| „ „ six to seven years | 2 |
| „ ., seven to eight years | 1 |
| „ „ eight to nine years | 1 |
| 95 |
From the above table it will be seen that in 7.4 per cent. of deaths
no notification was received during life, and in 18.9 per cent. notification
was only received within one month of death. In the unnotified
deaths the attention of the practitioners concerned has been drawn to
his failure to comply with the Tuberculosis Regulations.