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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
Fulham 1955
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Fulham Borough]
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TUBERCULOSIS Return for Year Ending 31st December, 1955
| PULMONARY | NON-PULMONARY | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | Women | Children | Total | Men | Women | Children | Total | |
| Notified cases on Register at Ist January, 1955 .. | 677 | 496 | 45 | 1,208 | 45 | 63 | 28 | 136 |
| Add: – | ||||||||
| Notifications | 50 | 41 | 5 | 96 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 13 |
| Transfers from other areas | 60 | 23 | 1 | 84 | – | – | – | – |
| Children transferred to adults | 1 | 2 | – | 3 | 2 | 3 | – | 5 |
| Returned to Fulham .. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Deduct:- | ||||||||
| Deaths (all causes) | 23 | 5 | – | 28 | – | 1 | – | 1 |
| Left the Borough .. | 58 | 38 | 5 | 101 | 1 | 3 | – | 4 |
| Recovered .. .. | 7 | 23 | – | 30 | 1 | 1 | – | 2 |
| Children transferred to adults | – | – | 3 | 3 | – | – | 5 | 5 |
| Other reasons .. .. | 9 | 5 | – | 14 | – | – | – | – |
| Notified cases on Register at 31st December, 1955 | 681 | 491 | 43 | 1,215 | 48 | 69 | 25 | 142 |
For the purposes of this Return children are recognised as adults upon attaining the age of
15 years.
T.B. Death Rate: 22.7 per 100,000 Population which compares favourably with 24.0 in
1954.
The Notification Rate has decreased from 115.1 in 1954 to 91.0 in 1955.
WINTER EPIDEMICS
The Ministry of Health has been anxious to extend the present knowledge of respiratory
infections of presumed virus aetiology and all Medical Officers of Health were asked to cooperate
in the scheme during the winter of 1954/55.
All the general practitioners, chemists and industrial organisations in Pulham were
circularised and askedto co operate in furnishing information regarding cases of influenzal
like character occurring during the winter months and a number of favourable replies were
received.
Once this point was reached a small Winter Epidemic Bureau was set up and a number of
general practitioners were approached to act as spotters and asked to telephone the Bureau
giving notice of (a) the very earliest cases, (b) the epidemic when it arrived and (c) any
unusual symptoms evident which may be of interest.
In addition, chemists were asked to notify the Bureau of any abnormal rise in prescriptions
for this type of illness and industrial concerns asked to notify any abnormal
rise in absenteeism due to illness of influenzal like character.
The scheme was again resumed at the beginning of last winter and I am pleased to report
that there was no evidence from any of these sources of any epidemic occurring during 1955
in the Borough.