View report page

62
TUBERCULOSIS.
During the year 235 cares of pulmonary tuberculosis and 57 cases of non-pulmonary
tuberculosis were notified.

It will be noted that there were 22 fewer notifications of tuberculosis in 1925 than in the preceding
year; indeed, the number of notifications in 1925 was less than in any year since the introduction
of notification.
In view of the efforts made by the Council during the past five years to secure notification of
all cases, the above table must be regarded as evidence that the disease is becoming less prevalent.
Medical practitioners are reporting cases at an earlier stage of the disease than was the case
several years ago, but the following figures show that some improvement in this respect is still
desirable in order that the Council's machinery for the prevention of the spread of infection may
be put into operation at the earliest possible moment :—
(1) No. of deaths in Kensington from all forms of tuberculosis in 1925 159
(2) No. of persons dying unnotified or notified at death 42
(3) No. notified within one month before death 25
(4) No. notified within three months before death (excluding those under heading 3) 11
(5) No. notified within six months before death (excluding those under headings 3
and 4) 11
In 1921 a circular letter was sent to local medical men drawing attention to the importance
of strict compliance with their obligations in regard to notification under the Public Health
(Tuberculosis) Regulations, 1912, and of utilising freely the services of the Tuberculosis Officer in
order to arrive at a diagnosis as early as possible in difficult or doubtful cases.
The Council undertake the examination of sputum for tubercle bacilli free of charge and in
the case of every specimen received a report is sent to the medical practitioner indicating the presence
or absence of the organism. If no notification is received in respect of a case reported to be positive
a communication is addressed to the medical man in two or three weeks' time, asking for an
explanation. The returns of all persons dying in the Borough are examined carefully every week
and in every case where death is attributed to tuberculosis and no notification of the disease has
been received prior to death, the doctor certifying death is asked by letter to give an explanation
of his failure to comply with the Public Health (Tuberculosis) Regulations.
In this way the medical men in the Borough are from time to time reminded of their duties in
regard to the notification of cases of tuberculosis to the Medical Officer of Health and, generally
speaking, they are carrying them out satisfactorily.
Late notification is not necessarily due to delay on the part of the family doctor, for in only
too many cases the patients unfortunately do not consult a medical man until the disease is well
advanced.
The following summary shows the age and sex distribution of the cases notified and the deaths
from this disease during the year:—