London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Hampstead 1926
Report for the year 1926 of the Medical Officer of Health
This page requires JavaScript
Analysis of New Cases of Pulmonary Tuberculosis occurring-in 1921, who did NOT attend at the Tuberculosis Dispensary.
| Total number of Pulmonary cases who did not attend the Dispensary | 51* |
| Number known to be alive December,. 1926 | 5=10% |
| Number known to be dead December, 1926 | 25=50% |
| Number removed from the Borough (present condition unknown) | 21=40% |
Analysis of New Cases of Pulmonary Tuberculosis occurring in 1922 who did NOT attend at the Tuberculosis Dispensary.
| Total number of Pulmonary cases who did not attend the Dispensary | 50† |
| Number known to be alive in December, 1926 | 12=24% |
| Number known to be dead in December, 1926 | 16=32% |
| Number removed from the IJorough (present condition unknown | 22=44% |
These figures show, as far as it is possible to trace these people,.
that at the end of five years 60 % are dead.
The prognosis of pulmonary tuberculosis is obviously a bad one,
and the question of further means of combating the disease must be
diligently sought. Careful selection of cases for treatment in sanatoria
is also very necessary, the "early" cases seem to be the only ones
where a chance occurs of arresting this disease. On the subject of
prognosis it is worth while drawing attention to our experience as
regards tuberculosis in children under the age of 15 years. Several
eminent clinicians and observers have stated that, the majority of
children have tuberculosis in some form or other in the early years of
life, so that it is a fact worth noting that the prognosis of tuberculosis
in early years is as favourable as it is adverse in middle life. The
following figures will exemplify what I mean :—
During the past five years there have been 457 cases of pulmonary
tuberculosis notified in ltampstead; only 8 of these were children
under the age of 15 years, and 6 of these are alive. As regards nonpulmonary
tuberculosis, 132 cases have been notified in the past five
* 50% of the whole of the pulmonary cases notified,
† 0% of the whole of the pulmonary cases notified.