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TUBERCULOSIS
Hammersmith Chest Clinic
The mildness of the last few winters, and the accumulative effects of the Clean Air Act, may be partly
responsible for recent satisfying figures. The total attendances dropped, from the usual of just over 23,000 to
20,584 in 1971 and 19,711 in 1972, the lowest for many years. New attendances were 681, there being a
particularly welcome drop in new cases of bronchitis from 197 in 1971 to 90 this year.
The figure for new cases of lung cancer, however, was 57: about the average of the fluctuating figures for the
last 7 years. There is unlikely to be any remarkable change in this situation while the present attitude to
cigarette smoking continues.
In 1970 attention was drawn to an encouraging drop in the figures for tuberculosis; but a warning was given
that this could not necessarily be interpreted as a trend. Such caution has been justified for there has now been
a sharp rise in the new tuberculosis notifications. This is almost entirely due to cases in immigrants to this
country who, in fact, yielded two-thirds of the notifications in 1972. The figure for the indigenous population
has remained remarkably static recently: around 23 for the last 7 years. Details of the tuberculosis figures are
given in Tables I and II and Figure I.
The services provided from the Clinic have remained unchanged. Newer drug treatments for tuberculosis
are proving remarkably effective and cause much less upset to the patients, who usually only need to leave
work for 3 or 4 weeks. Treatment for the tobacco-induced diseases - bronchitis and lung cancer - is, on the
other hand, miserably unsatisfactory. The only hope here is prevention: cure is, at present, impossible.
My sincere thanks to the Clinic staff for their continued loyal and cheerful co-operation.

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