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28
TUBERCULOSIS.
Tuberculosis Notifications.
By the Public Health (Tuberculosis) Regulations, 1912, the notification of all
forms of Tuberculosis was made compulsory.
Excluding duplicates and military and naval cases the total number of
notifications received was 117, of which 28 were private cases, 59 hospital cases,
29 poor-law cases and 1 school case. Of these 96 were pulmonary cases and 21
non-pulmonary.
Of the total number of cases 23, or 20 per cent., were residents of common
lodging houses, and were all but one at once or soon afterwards removed to
infirmaries. With few exceptions the remaining 94 lived in tenement houses,
and 30 of these were removed to infirmary or hospital, 65 remaining at home,
but some of these had previously been in infirmaries, hospitals or sanatoria.
Some practitioners do not notify cases until tubercle bacilli have been found
in the sputum, and a number of cases are not notified until shortly before death.
In 1921, two cases were notified only at death, five cases within one month
of death, five within three months and three within six months of death.
The number of deaths from phthisis during the year was 42, or a death-rate
of 0.96 per 1,000, in comparison with 1.13 for 1920.
During the past year of the 42 deaths, 2 had been removed to infirmaries from
common lodging houses in the Borough.
Arrangements have been made for the home visitation of all notified cases
by the Sanitary Inspectors. When necessary, contacts are invited to attend
at the Tuberculosis Dispensary. Any patients attending the Tuberculosis Dispensary
come under the care of the Tuberculosis Nurse ; all others are re-visited at
least once a quarter by the Sanitary Inspectors in order to secure the proper
disposal of the sputum and the best use possible of the sleeping accommodation.
Tuberculosis Dispensary.
Since February, 1915, the Council has made arrangements with the University
College Hospital, conjointly with South St. Pancras, for dealing with cases of
tuberculosis, including contacts, both insured and uninsured.
These are examined by the Tuberculosis Officer on Tuesday and Friday
afternoons and Thursday evenings and the reports sent me and arrangements made
for their removal to hospital or sanatoria when required. They are visited at
their homes by the Tuberculosis Nurse, who reports to and consults with me
weekly, and at other times in emergency.