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
Kensington 1925
The annual report on the health of the Borough for the year1925
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68
As far as possible, the Women Health Officers visit every patient suffering from
tuberculosis not less often than once every six months. But in cases where the home conditions
are not satisfactory, visits are paid more frequently. The object of these visits is to assist patients
in following the advice given by the Tuberculosis Officer or family practitioner, to show patients
and their relatives in the home what steps to take to prevent the spread of infection and to encourage
regular attendance at the Dispensary or regular visits to the private practitioner.
The number of home visits paid in 1925 by the Council's Women Health Officers is shown in the following table:—
| Women Health Officers. | TOTAL. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 | No. 2 | No. 3 | No. 4 | No. 5 | No. 6 | No. 7 | ||
| Tuberculosis. | ||||||||
| Pulmonary. | ||||||||
| First Visits | 24 | 16 | 33 | 23 | 35 | 30 | 48 | 209 |
| Re-Visits | 189 | 165 | 235 | 191 | 70 | 290 | 295 | 1,435 |
| Non-Pulmonary. | ||||||||
| First Visits | 3 | 7 | 11 | 12 | 7 | — | 4 | 44 |
| Re-Visits | 58 | 118 | 129 | 139 | 13 | 1 | 40 | 498 |
Housing conditions form an important element in regard to tuberculosis, and home visits are
oflimportance in this connection. The sleeping arrangements are frequently unsatisfactory and the
Women Health Officers always enquire into them. Wherever possible, desirable alterations are
pointed out and urged upon the family.
The following table giving the number of rooms occupied by the families of definite cases of tuberculosis diagnosed in 1925 by the Tuberculosis Officer, and the number of occupants, ascertained by the Women Health Officers on their visits to the homes, is inserted to show the difficulties, experienced in securing home isolation in many cases:—
| No. of Occupants | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | ||
| Rooms 1 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | =27 cases |
| „ 2 | — | 8 | 7 | 13 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | =48 „ |
| „ 3 | — | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | 1 | =24 „ |
| „ 4 | — | - | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | 1 | =15 „ |
| „ 5 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | 1 | — | =12 „ |
| „ 6 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | = 1 ,, |
| 127 cases | ||||||||||||
This total falls 9 short of the total number of cases owing to patients living in boarding houses,
private hotels or large private residences not being included.
The Following-up of Patients in Cases of Doubtful Diagnosis.
Those persons who come to the Dispensary and in whom the diagnosis is found to be doubtful
upon the first examination are classified as " suspects." They are from three sources, namely,
(a) those who have been invited to attend by the tuberculosis staff because they are " home
contacts " of definite cases of tuberculosis,
(b) those who owing to ill-health suspect that they may be suffering from tuberculosis and visit
the dispensary with a view to ascertaining whether or not this is so, and
(c) doubtful cases sent for diagnosis by medical practitioners or health agencies.