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Report by Dr. C. H. C. Toussaint,
Clinical Tuberculosis Officer.
There has been a further fall in deaths from Pulmonary
Tuberculosis, and the death rate for this type of disease, 0.86 is
again the lowest ever recorded in the Borough. The fall in the
number of deaths from other forms of tuberculosis is also noticeable.
During the year there was, in addition, a marked drop in
the number of notifications received, amounting to 47 fewer new
cases of pulmonary tuberculosis and 8 fewer new cases of other
forms.
Table II. illustrates that this drop in the number of new cases
is really due to a reduction in the amount of the disease, and not
to the occurrence of cases in which the illness has not been detected
during life. Co-operation with all medical practitioners in the
district has been maintained, and during the year only four cases
of pulmonary tuberculosis, and five cases of non-pulmonary
tuberculosis were not notified before death.
Analysis of these non-notified cases, which have appreciably
diminished, revealed no lack of care on the part of practitioners.
Of the pulmonary cases the two females, aged 60 and 62, were
both inmates of a mental hospital and tuberculosis was not discovered
till necropsy. Of the two males, one aged 65, died shortly
after admission to St. Olave's Hospital. The sudden death was
the subject of a coroner's enquiry, and found to have been due to
acute phthisis. The other patient, aged 31, died in a municipal
hospital elsewhere, and was a pedlar, last resident at a common
lodging house in this Borough. Such men are usually on the move
from place to place, and this man may have been known to
authorities in another district.
Of the non-notified deaths from non-pulmonary tuberculosis,
three were of infants, dying in hospitals from miliary tuberculosis.
As I have previously stated, from the nature of these cases, it is
often impossible to secure an accurate diagnosis before death.
Whenever possible, however, notification should be made so that
adequate investigation may be made into the cause of infection.