London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Fulham 1960

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Fulham Borough]

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21
DISEASES OTHER THAN TUBERCULOSIS
The number of patients who attend for diseases other than
tuberculosis continues to increase, this applies both to the number of
new cases referred to the clinic and old cases still attending for
treatment. This tendency will, of course, increase in the future.
In fact, 274 such cases were referred to the clinic for the first time
compared with 228 for 1959.
THE POPULATION SURVEY OF RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS
The pilot study of this survey was started in May 1959 and the
survey itself started in January 1960 and continued throughout the year.
The first six months of the year were spent in visiting the selected
families in the sample and completing the questionnaires for each
individual member. The information collected in this way has been
collated transferred to punch cards and is now in the hands of the
statisticians.
RESPIRATORY DEATHS IN FULHAM
Owing to the relatively mild winter of 1959/60 the number of
deaths from non respiratory disease has shown a fall off from the
previous year. However the deaths from lung cancer remain unaffected
hy the better weather.

Comparative Figures for the Three Main Causes of Death from Respiratory CausesTUBERCULOSIS

PulmonaryTOTAL
MalesFemales
195822830
195920121
196016117
BRONCHITIS
19588044124
19598747134
1960522981
LUNG CANCER
1958701484
1959801696
1960722395

ALLERGY
There has been a general increase in the number of patients
referred because of symptoms of allergic asthma, such patients attend
for skin sensitivity tests and, in suitable cases undergo a course of
desensitisation with a prepared vaccine. As a general rule this form
of treatment is only carried out in those patients who have a raised
eosinophile count in both blood and sputum specimens.